Twenty years after winning the World Cup finals in 2006, Zinedine Zidan will once again join the Italian national team - this time in the status of head coach of the French national team. Friday's UEFA Nations League match at the Stade de France will be Zidane's first home game for the Blues.
The upcoming match will inevitably turn the tables on the Berlin final, since Zidan’s remarkable career ended with a red card for a heavy headbutt in the chest of the Italian champion Marco Materazzi.
At the pre-match press conference, Zidan openly commented on that idea, noting that the video of that moment will definitely be remembered.
" This is part of my career. I don’t write about what happened, otherwise I can’t give up good speech again. Then I thought that this would be the end of my story with the national team, even without knowing that I would become a coach. It is very important to survive this. Let’s talk about those that will be further. “I’m ready to turn around and I want to turn around,” Zidan said.
The coach also categorically confirmed that he has never abandoned Materazzi. Under Zidan's leadership, the French national team launched a long campaign, achieving two victories in the country with a 1:0 victory over Turkey and Belgium.
The coach calls the upcoming match in front of the crowd of fans an emotional moment and sings that the team prepared wonderfully. Due to Kilian Mbappe's injury, Ousmane Dembele is wearing the captain's armband on Friday.
Tim also went through a stage of transition under the leadership of Roberto Mancini, which turned to the national team. After the opening defeat to Belgium (0:2), the Italians gained a huge victory over Turecchina (4:1).
Prote to France team arrived in a shortened warehouse. Forward Giacomo Raspadori was lost due to injury, and Mancini lost nine more of his players in Italy. As the Italian Football Federation explained, the decision was praised for the excellent preparation of parts of the warehouse before the upcoming match scheduled for Monday in Bologna.