Zidane Hints at a Comeback: Juventus Stays in His Heart as He Eyes a France coaching Future

Return to Coaching and the Ancelotti Connection

French icon Zinedine Zidane, the legend of France, Real Madrid, and Juventus, says he will return to coaching in the near future, noting that Italian Carlo Ancelotti, the former Real Madrid coach and current Brazil boss, played a crucial role in his managerial journey.

He left Real Madrid in the summer of 2021 and has not taken charge of any team since.

He began his coaching career with Real Madrid's Castilla, then served as an assistant to Ancelotti in 2014.

In January 2016, he took charge of the first team, left in 2018, and returned for a second spell from 2019 to 2021.

After leaving Real Madrid, Zidane's name linked with Juventus, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, and even Saudi teams, but he ignored the rumors and waited for the right moment to lead France.

He stated his goal is to coach the France national team in the future. "I will definitely return to coaching," he said, "why did I not take Juventus? I don't know; the club is always in my heart because it gave me a lot; in the future, who knows?"

"Like all kids, I learned to love football on the streets 45 years ago in Marseille. I always played with the ball; my parents moved from Algeria to France for work; life was tough; I am happy my children are good people, and that matters most to me."

Regarding the differences between past and present football, Zidane explained: "I think I miss something today; when I watch matches I want to see more attacking football; it's true I miss football from the past a little."

About his time as a Juventus player, he said: "Those years were wonderful; I came from France where football was great but not like Juventus; in Turin you felt that you always had to win, whether home or away."

He added: "What stayed with me about Andrea Agnelli (Juventus president) is that when I played well he would call me at six in the morning to congratulate me; he was a noble man, clearly a Juventus fan."

On Juventus' lack of Champions League glory, he said: "It's hard for Juventus to win the Champions League; we reached the final twice and lost, I don't know why; it also depends on the club and what it wants; to win the Champions League you need a lot."

On retiring in 2006, he stated: "Retirement was what I wanted to do; what I no longer loved was travel and hotels and all that; when you're twenty it's good, but as you get older it's harder; I could have played two or three more years."

Discussing his move into coaching, he said: "When I stopped playing football my life changed; after three years I didn't know what to do; I tried many things until I joined a coaching course; among all the coaches I worked with, Lippi taught me the most; he was very important because when I arrived in Italy it was tough, but Lippi always believed in me."

He added: "Ancelotti was my coach at first, then I became his assistant; he's a good friend and played a key role in my career; he was a good coach because he listened to us players."

On the qualities of a coach, Zidane said: "A coach must be passionate about football; not only those who win are good; there are good coaches who cannot win; the most important thing for me is to convey a message to players; when you are passionate you transmit a message to them."

Punchlines:

And yes, if coaching were a video game, Zidane would be the cheat code: press X to win hearts and Y to win the locker room.

If football were a recipe, Zidane would sprinkle a little leadership, a dash of charisma, and voila—France’s national team would finally be on the menu.