Zinedine Zidane ‘set for return to management’ after five-year absence | The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentIndependentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleReutersMonday 23 March 2026 19:32 GMTZinedine Zidane is expected to be the next France manager (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Archive)Zinedine Zidane has reportedly agreed to become the next head coach of the French national football team.He is expected to take over from Didier Deschamps after this summer's Fifa World Cup, following a verbal agreement with the Federation Francaise de Football (FFF), according to ESPN.Zidane previously managed Real Madrid across two spells, winning three consecutive Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018.As a player, he was instrumental in France's 1998 World Cup victory and was named Fifa World Player of the Year three times.This appointment would mark his return to management after being out of the game for five years since leaving Real Madrid in 2021.In fullZinedine Zidane ‘agrees to replace Didier Deschamps as France manager’Thank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in