French football legend Zinedine Zidane confirmed that he will return to coaching in the near future, indicating that his goal is to coach the French national football team.

Zidane left his role as Real Madrid coach in summer 2021 and has not taken charge of any team since then.

Zidane began his coaching career as the manager of Real Madrid Castilla, then worked as an assistant to Italian Carlo Ancelotti, former Real Madrid coach and current Brazil national team coach, in 2014.

In January 2016, he became head coach of Real Madrid before leaving in summer 2018 and returning for a second spell from 2019 until 2021 at Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

After leaving Real Madrid, Zidane was linked with coaching several major European clubs such as Juventus, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Paris Saint-Germain, and there were rumors about him possibly leading a Saudi team.

However, Zidane stayed away from coaching, waiting for the opportunity to lead the French national team.

Zidane told Gianluca Di Marzio, a journalist from Sky Sports, that his goal is to coach France in the near future.

He added: “I will definitely return to coaching. Why didn’t I take charge of Juventus? I don’t know why it didn’t happen, the club is always in my heart because it gave me a lot. In the future, I don’t know, one of my goals is to coach the French national team and we will see.”

Speaking about his entry into coaching, Zidane said: “When I stopped playing football, my life changed. After three years, I didn’t know what to do. I tried many things until I joined a coaching course. Among all the coaches I worked with, Lippi was the one I learned the most from. It was very important because when I arrived in Italy, it was difficult for me at first, but Lippi always believed in me.”

He added: “Ancelotti was my coach at the beginning, then I became his assistant. He is a good friend and played an important role in my career. He was a good coach because he listened to us players.”

Regarding the qualities a coach should have, Zidane said: “He must be passionate about football. Not only those who win are good; there are good coaches who cannot win. The most important thing for me is to convey a message to the players. When you are passionate, you transmit a message to them.”