Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane has confirmed he will return to football management at some point as he approaches three years in the job. Zidane only managed Real Madrid during his coaching career, through two spells, and stepped down in 2021 before Carlo Ancelotti took over.
Perennially linked with the big jobs in Europe, previous years have seen Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain linked with a move for Zidane, while at one point it looked as if he was Didier Deschamps' replacement in the French national team.
During a recent documentary on the life of Marcello Lippi, he confirmed that he would be happy to coach in Italy, where he made his first move outside of France.
“Why not? Something can happen, but for the moment I'm doing something else. I'm sure I'll be back on the bench, I'd like to train again.”
Zidane speaks highly of the Italian coach, who led the Azzurri to World Cup glory over his French side in the 2006 final, the final of his career.
“It was Marcellu Lippi who made me come Juventus, the first one who believed in me and let me play. It was not easy for him, I came from France, everything was different, but Lippi made me become what I became later. As a player, I had great coaches like Lippi or Ancelotti, but everyone has to follow their own path,” he explained during the documentary, carried by AS Diary.
Where Zidane's next destination is, only he knows. It seems unlikely that he will walk into a club in a situation that does not feel right for him, since he is not correct in the management. If Deschamps ends up leaving in the short term, then Zidane he will immediately be the first new candidate, but his contract lasts until after the 2026 World Cup.
