France bets on Zidane, but choices for idols didn't always work

Zidane joins the list of football idols who have coached at least one national team. Before taking over in France, he only had coaching experience at Real Madrid and led the club to three Champions League titles.

But the idol-selection combination doesn't always work. Paulo Roberto Falcão was an example in Brazil. After retiring as a player, he took up the position in 1990 and spent practically a year in the position, being dismissed shortly after finishing second in the 1991 Copa América - Argentina was champion.

Dunga was another example in Brazil. The four-time champion even won the Copa América and the Confederations Cup in his first spell (2006-2010), but it ended with falling to the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup. In the second opportunity (2014-2016), the team was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2015 Copa América and, the following year, did not progress beyond the group stage in the same competition.

Italy has a recent example. Gattuso took over the team with the mission of taking them to the World Cup after two consecutive absences. He didn't make it. The Italians fell in the repechage and reached their third consecutive embarrassment.

Not even "Dios" was successful. Maradona took charge of Argentina in 2008 and qualified the team for the World Cup. At the World Cup, Albiceleste bowed out in the quarter-finals after losing 4-0 to Germany. The defeat ended his time in office.

Marco van Basten is an example in the Netherlands. Between 2004 and 2008, he had 35 victories in charge of the national team, but ended up being eliminated early in the main competitions: he fell in the round of 16 of the 2006 World Cup and in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Euro Cup.

OTHER CASES WORKED OUT

Zagallo is one of the greatest examples in this sense. World champion as a player, he led the Brazilian team to the 1970 World Cup title, becoming one of the only people to lift the cup as a player and as a coach.

Franz Beckenbauer is another one who shone as a player and coach for Germany. Coach of the national team between 1984 and 1990, he led the country to the 1990 World Cup title and joined Zagallo among the champions as an athlete and coach.

The most recent example comes from France itself, with Deschamps. Zidane's predecessor spent 14 years in office (2012-2026) and, during that period, created the generation that won the 2022 World Cup. In 2026, however, he left office after finishing only fourth. Like Zagallo and Beckenbauer, he lifted the World Cup as a coach and player.

MISSIONS FOR ZIDANE

Zidane arrives in France surrounded by a crisis. Upon his departure, Didier Deschamps said he left his post because the environment was "unbreathable".

The 6-4 defeat by England in the dispute for third place in the World Cup also left its mark. After the game, midfielder Rabiot, one of the most experienced on the team, stated that he saw "unacceptable attitudes" from his teammates, but did not name names.

"We started the first half in a pretty shameful way. I saw behavior from some players that I had never seen before. It's a little disappointing. There is a lot of disappointment after the defeat to Spain, but there was work to be done until the end and we can't just screw things up like that. We talked at half-time, we told each other that we needed a bit of pride, and it was much better in the second half, because in the first half, certain behaviors were unacceptable," said Rabiot, in the mixed zone.

One of the controversial names was Cherki. The French press highlighted the Manchester City player's "dismissive" behavior during the games he played in the World Cup. According to local media outlets, he was the reason for Rabiot's outburst.

Mbappé's stance is always a topic raised. He was even nicknamed "dictator" because of his alleged attitudes. Deschamps always protected the star, who took over the role of captain after Lloris retired from the national team.

Zidane should keep a large part of the team that played in the World Cup. The main names in the squad are still between 20 and 30 years old and should reach the next edition of the World Cup. Among them are stars like Mbappé, Dembélé and Olise.

The first appointments will be between the end of September and the beginning of October. France will face Turkey (25/9), Belgium (28/9), Italy (2/10) and Belgium (5/10), in the first four rounds of the Nations League.