What's happened
Zidane has appointed his France coaching team, with Barthez returning to a national role and Bettoni as assistant. The former teammates will lead in a new era, with France set to face Turkey in the Nations League in September.
What's behind the headline?
Analysis
- Zidane has assembled a trusted team from his Real Madrid era to guide France, signaling a centralized approach to leadership.
- Bettoni’s return as assistant is a continuity move, leveraging his success with Zidane on three Champions League titles.
- Gregory Dupont’s role as Strategy and Performance Advisor suggests a data-driven push to optimize training and selection.
- The setup anticipates a rapid integration period before the Nations League games, particularly away to Turkey.
How we got here
Zidane has been hired to coach France on a four-year deal, succeeding Didier Deschamps after the World Cup semi-final loss. Barthez previously served as a consultant and has now joined the France staff, alongside Bettoni and Gregory Dupont in specialist roles.
Our analysis
France 24, AP News; both report Zidane’s four-year deal, Barthez’s appointment, and Bettoni's familiarity. AP adds context on Barthez’s World Cup and Zidane’s previous World Cup win; France 24 highlights the broader staff changes.
Go deeper
- What does this staff change mean for France’s playing style?
- When is France’s next major match, and who will start in goal?
- How does Bettoni’s return influence the squad’s cohesion?
More on these topics
-
Monaco - Country in Europe
Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a sovereign city-state, country, and microstate on the French Riviera in Western Europe. It is bordered by France to the north, east and west, and by the Mediterranean Sea to the south.
-
France - Country in Europe
France, officially the French Republic, is a country consisting of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories.
-
Marseille - City in France
Marseille is the prefecture of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in France. It is located on the Mediterranean coast near the mouth of the Rhône.
-
Toulouse - City in France
Toulouse is the capital of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the region of Occitanie. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, 150 kilometres from the Mediterranean Sea, 230 km from the Atlantic Ocean and 680 km from Paris.
-
Laurent Blanc - French football manager
Laurent Robert Blanc is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He is the head coach of Qatar Stars League club Al-Rayyan.
-
Didier Deschamps - French association football player and coach
Didier Claude Deschamps (French: [didje klod deʃɑ̃]; born 15 October 1968), popularly known as Dédé ([dede]), is a French professional football manager and former player. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, England and Spain, namely Marseille, Juventus, Chelsea and Valencia, as well as Nantes and Bordeaux. Nicknamed "the water-carrier" (French: le porteur d'eau), Deschamps was an intelligent and hard-working defensive midfielder, who excelled at winning back possession and subsequently starting attacking plays, and also stood out for his leadership throughout his career. As a French international, he was capped on 103 occasions and took part at three UEFA European Championships and one FIFA World Cup, captaining his nation to victories in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. In addition to winning two Division 1 titles in 1990 and 1992, Deschamps was part of the Marseille squad that became the first French club to win the UEFA Champions League, a feat the team achieved in 1993; with the Champions League victory, Deschamps became the youngest captain ever to lead his team to win the title. With Juventus he played three Champions League finals in a row...
-
Zinedine Zidane - Former football player
Zinedine Yazid Zidane, popularly known as Zizou, is a French former professional football player who played as an attacking midfielder. He is the current manager of La Liga club Real Madrid and is one of the most successful managers in the world.
-
France men's national association football team - National association football team representing France
The France national football team (French: Équipe de France de football) represents France in men's international football. It is controlled by the French Football Federation (FFF; Fédération française de football), the governing body for football in France. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colours and imagery reference two national symbols: the French blue-white-red tricolour and Gallic rooster (coq gaulois). The team is colloquially known as Les Bleus (The Blues). They play home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and train at Centre National du Football in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines. Founded in 1904, the national team has won two FIFA World Cups, two UEFA European Championships, one CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions, two FIFA Confederations Cups and one UEFA Nations League title. France was one of the four European teams that participated in the first World Cup in 1930. Twenty-eight years later, the team led by Raymond Kopa and Just Fontaine finished in third place at the 1958 World Cup. France experienced much of its success in three different eras: in the 1980s, the late 1990s to early 2000s, and the late 2010s to early 2020s....
-
Fabien Barthez - French racing driver
Fabien Alain Barthez is a French racing driver and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. At club level, he played football in both France and England with Toulouse, Marseille, AS Monaco, Manchester United, and Nantes.