French football legend Zinedine Zidane has been waiting a long time for his dream job. – And now that the World Cup is over for France in a way that makes national team manager Didier Deschamps have no opportunity to reverse his decision to quit as he did after both the last European Championship and the World Cup.
That is not what puts Zinedine Zidane’s dream job on hold, but a bureaucratic paragraph puts a spanner in the works.
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It looked like fate was finally about to fulfill itself: Zinedine Zidane on the French national team bench. After years of speculation, rumours and longing, everything seemed to fall into place when Didier Deschamps resigned after last night’s World Cup exit against Spain. The World Cup-winning coach had already announced that this was his last championship with France – and now his chair is vacant.
All eyes are on Zidane, the man who hasn’t trained since leaving Real Madrid, and who has been patiently waiting for this exact moment.
Have to wait even a little longer
But unfortunately for Zidane – and for all French football supporters – everything indicates that he needs to be even more patient.
According to the French newspaper L’Équipe, the Joint Committee (Senate and National Assembly) already adopted a new maximum limit for public positions on July 8 of this year: 450,000 euros gross per year. This is the same as the salary of the chairman of a state-owned industrial and trading company.
The problem? That is about ten times less than what Didier Deschamps earned as national team manager. And far below what Zinedine Zidane – one of the biggest names in football history – can expect.
A change in the law is needed – the minister keeps the door open
The French Football Federation is therefore in a demanding situation. In order to offer Zidane a salary that matches his status, they must have changed this law – and that requires the approval of Marina Ferrari, France’s Minister of Sports, Youth and Social Life.
In an interview with France 2 on Wednesday morning, Ferrari opened up the possibility:
“Zidane is a good option for the national team,” she said, but quickly added:
“However, it is not up to the Minister of Sports to decide who will be the next coach.
The road so far: from Madrid champion to national team guru?
Zinedine Zidane’s history as a coach is already legendary. Three straight Champions League titles with Real Madrid. To La Liga gold. An aura that few can match. Since leaving Madrid in 2021, he has been without a job – but not without an offer.
He has turned down Manchester United, to PSG, to several of the world’s biggest clubs. For Zidane, it has always been about one job: France’s national team. That has been the dream. The destination. The last big chapter.
Now, finally, with the door ajar, a wage restriction by the French civil service threatens to put an end to it all.
The fans are waiting. The federation is waiting. Zidane is waiting.
The question is for how long – and whether the legislation will bow to football’s undisputed king.
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