All posts tagged: Didier Deschamps

Zinedine Zidane unveiled as France national team coach

Zinedine Zidane unveiled as France national team coach

3 min readJul 28, 2026 06:55 PM IST French icon Zinedine Zidane was on Tuesday officially unveiled as the new France national team manager, replacing Didier Deschamps, whose tenure ended at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Zidane was given a 4-year contract, French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo announced. “I’m excited. The France team makes you dream. We have extraordinary players, an extraordinary team. I’ve waited five years for this chance, so that’s why I’m a bit emotional,” Zidane said. “I’ve always watched this side as a fan and also as a future coach, I won’t hide it. That’s why I didn’t take a club side. I told myself that the only thing I wanted to do after Madrid was taking the France team,” he added. The 54-year-old Zidane has not coached since leaving Real Madrid in 2021, whom he had led to 3 back to back Champions League titles. “For me it’s a continuity, a dream. I had some offers during the five years I was away to take charge of a club but …

Mbappe pips Messi in Golden Boot race, all-time leading World Cup scorers’ list

Mbappe pips Messi in Golden Boot race, all-time leading World Cup scorers’ list

3 min readJul 19, 2026 05:01 AM IST Kylian Mbappe created history on Saturday in the World Cup third-place match vs England when he scored a brace which helped him overtake Argentine legend Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race as well as the all-time leading World Cup goal-scorers list. Mbappe now has 10 goals in the 2026 World Cup, two more than Messi while he also has a total of 22 goals in the tournament’s history, one more than Messi’s 21. The Argentine icon will have a chance to overtake the French superstar on Sunday on both lists as he lines up to take on Spain in the World Cup final at the Metlife Stadium but for now, Mbappe rules the roost. He had scored eight goals to win the Golden Boot four years ago in Qatar, where France lost to Messi and Argentina in a penalty shootout in the final. Mbappe, however, couldn’t power his team to the bronze medal with France going down 4-6 to England as the Three Lions claimed third …

FIFA World Cup | How Didier Deschamps’s elite bunch fell short on big stage – 3 times to Spain

FIFA World Cup | How Didier Deschamps’s elite bunch fell short on big stage – 3 times to Spain

5 min readJul 15, 2026 08:07 PM IST One of the lasting images of World Cup knockout games are those final lingering shots, the camera trailing the faces of some of the best to be a part of the sport, in their most disappointing moments. Didier Deschamps’ final moments as coach for France are yet to come, with a third-place playoff, which hardly any team looks forward to, still to be negotiated. But the steady flow of red that kept rushing to his face until the final whistle in the semifinal against Spain was in effect his goodbye to managing France. The abject French surrender was a crushing end to the reign of a man used to collecting records as player and manager. AS IT HAPPENED | France vs Spain, FIFA World Cup semifinal Deschamps may leave with a feeling of ‘what could have been’. Fourteen years of handling probably the most talented group of footballers in international football, arriving pristine out of the Clairefontaine conveyor belt, should have resulted in a stacked trophy cabinet. …

Patrick Vieira rips into France after semifinal exit against Spain

Patrick Vieira rips into France after semifinal exit against Spain

3 min readJul 15, 2026 02:12 PM IST Spain sealed their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final with a commanding 2-0 victory over France in the semifinal on Tuesday night in Arlington, outclassing the two-time champions with a brilliant team performance. Former French midfielder Patrick Vieira did not hold back in his assessment of the defeat, criticising the collective display of Didier Deschamps’ side on the grand stage. “It was a big expectation for France to win the World Cup. We all are really disappointed by the result but mostly by the performance, because we needed our top players to perform today and they didn’t do it. It wasn’t one or two that were missing, all of them were missing. Collectively we were really bad,” Vieira said on ITV. Stars like Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and Michael Olise tried all night, but the Spanish defence stood firm and kept them quiet for the better part of the game. Mikel Oyarzabal provided the breakthrough from the penalty spot in the first half after Lamine …

Four teams, 4 plans, 1 result: How France keep winning at this FIFA World Cup | Football News

Four teams, 4 plans, 1 result: How France keep winning at this FIFA World Cup | Football News

4 min readJul 11, 2026 06:00 AM IST France’s clash against Morocco was billed as the game of the quarterfinals. One that put a congregation of attacking talent that the French have pieced together against Morocco’s unending stamina. Instead, Boston, in its final game of the World Cup, witnessed yet another canter by the French to the finish line. It has been the story of this World Cup – different teams attempting their own spin in solving the French puzzle – each has failed at varying degrees. Senegal show glimpses The only sustained period of trouble that the French have faced in the tournament so far has been the first half of their opener against Senegal. The defending African Cup of Nations champions were incredibly organised and keen on physically imposing themselves on the French front four. They didn’t cede the possession battle to Didier Deschamps’ men and were competing on a level footing. But it all changed when Michael Olise switched from the right wing to the centre of the pitch and the devastating …

Who are the referees for France vs Morocco quarter-final?

Who are the referees for France vs Morocco quarter-final?

4 min readUpdated: Jul 9, 2026 09:09 PM IST France vs Morocco, FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final: The replay of one of the 2022 World Cup semi-finals is set to take place again at the Boston Stadium on Thursday night, when two-time champions France take on the ever-resilient Morocco. FIFA has confirmed that the game between the two will have an all-Argentine match officials lineup, led by the main referee Facundo Tello, who is set to officiate the game. ALSO READ | How are France reacting to all-Argentine referee lineup for World Cup quarterfinal This decision has sparked an online debate between the fans of Argentina and France, as they still share a bitter rivalry since the 2022 World Cup final, and the two nations could potentially end up meeting again in the finals this year. This is the first time in this edition of the World Cup, that a game will have match officials from a single nation. The appointment comes off as a result of FIFA’s selection practice of the most experienced referees …

Why Kylian Mbappe’s France play like a bunch of street footballers

Why Kylian Mbappe’s France play like a bunch of street footballers

Three Swedish defenders stood almost shoulder to shoulder, forming a yellow wall between Kylian Mbappe and the goal. There was nowhere obvious to go. So, instead of forcing the issue, Mbappe simply stopped. He rolled the ball backwards, inviting the nearest defender to take a step forward. That was the cue he had been waiting for. In an instant, he was moving again. His hips swayed one way, the ball darted another, and a crowded penalty area suddenly opened up. By the time the other Swedish defender realised what had happened, Mbappe was already wheeling away in celebration. The goal was a result of breathtaking speed, but even more breathtaking audacity. Most footballers, confronted by three defenders, search for the safer pass. Mbappe saw them as an audience – and put on a show. Watching France at this World Cup, that feeling keeps returning. Didier Deschamps’ side does not resemble a meticulously-drilled international team so much as a bunch of street footballers who happen to be wearing blue shirts. Every attack carries an extra feint, …

How Mbappe, Dembele, Doue, Olise are crushing opponents

How Mbappe, Dembele, Doue, Olise are crushing opponents

Before the 1984 European Championship, the French manager Michel Hidalgo had a problem. He had four virtuosic playmakers, but not a centre forward. An idea was born, he made a midfield square with his gifted playmakers, helmed by the impeccable Michel Platini. It came to be known as magic square, or the Le Carre Magique, and they inspired their maiden championship triumph of note. Decades later, Hidalgo’s distant successor Didier Deschamps – whose France beat Norway 4-1 to top World Cup Group I – had a problem, too. He had a superfluity of riches that he couldn’t configure the perfect deception code. Both, Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, were wingmen repositioned to the centre by their clubs with staggering success. But he could slot only one. He could drop Mbappe or shunt him to the left for Dembele; he could not bench Dembele, the reigning footballer of the year, either. ALSO READ | The Ousmane Dembele show: The art of minimalism and scoring goals The confusion did not end there. He had two exceptionally versatile …

France’s World Cup stars pay tribute to head coach Deschamps’ late mother

France’s World Cup stars pay tribute to head coach Deschamps’ late mother

2 min readJun 24, 2026 04:43 PM IST France will be without their head coach Dider Deschamps on the touchline for their final 2026 FIFA World Cup group game against Norway as the latter has returned back home to attend the funeral of his mother, who died on Tuesday. The French Football Federation (FFF) made the announcement in a statement on their X account and later posted a video of the team and the coaching staff paying tribute before starting their training session. “The national team coach had the sorrow, this Tuesday morning, of learning of the death of his mother. He will return to France to attend her funeral,” the FFF said. The federation further said that the team will be led by Deschamps’ assistant Guy Stephan in his absence. Moment de recueillement avant la séance. Nous sommes tous avec vous, coach 💙 pic.twitter.com/lmtScxGOpD — Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) June 24, 2026 “In agreement with Philippe Diallo, the president of the French Football Federation, who is present at the France team’s base camp …