Zinedine Zidane snubs €100m opportunity to return to management
Real Madrid officially have a new head coach in Xabi Alonso, but one of their former managers has still yet to make his return to football – that being Zinedine Zidane.
It has been four years since Zidane ended his second spell at Real Madrid, which was his last job in management. But despite this, he has had a number of opportunities to make his long-awaited return to football, with the likes of Manchester United and Marseille having shown interest over the last 12-18 months.
Zinedine Zidane knocks back approach from Saudi Arabia
And according to L'Equipe (via Diario AS), he has turned down another managerial opportunity in recent weeks – this time, it is Saudi Arabia that have been knocked back.
Image via Reuters
A few weeks ago, it was confirmed that Jorge Jesus would be leaving Al Hilal. And the Saudi Pro League identified Zidane as a leading candidate to replace him, but they have been turned down. As per the report, a contract proposal worth in excess of €100m was submitted, but the Real Madrid and France icon was not interested.
Zidane has already identified his next managerial position
And there is a good reason for this. Zidane missed out on taking over as head coach of the French national team in 2022 after Didier Deschamps U-turned on his decision to sign a new contract. That was a big blow for Zizou, but ever since then, he has been waiting for the opportunity to arise – and next summer, it will.
It has already been confirmed that Deschamps will step down as France head coach after the 2026 World Cup, and everything points to Zidane being his replacement. Everything points to that situation playing out after next summer's tournament, and it should be a momentous occasion for the 52-year-old to manage his home nation.
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(All kicks-offs ET/BST) (Top photos: Getty Images; design: Kelsea Petersen/The Athletic)
