Real Madrid’s French forward Kylian Mbappé reacted to Zinedine Zidane’s appointment as head coach of the French national team with a three-word message on his Instagram page.
“Welcome home,” Mbappé wrote.
On July 28, Zidane was officially appointed head coach of the French national team. He signed a contract running until 2030. Previously, Zidane had only managed Real Madrid, serving two stints: from 2016 to 2018 and from 2019 to 2021. Under his leadership, the Madrid club won the Champions League three times in a row.
Zidane replaced Didier Deschamps, who had led the French national team for 14 years. Deschamps stepped down after Les Bleus played England in the third-place play-off of the 2026 World Cup; the match ended in a 4–6 defeat for the French. Deschamps had previously led France to victory at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and to the final of the 2022 tournament, where they lost to Argentina on penalties. France had been considered the top favorite heading into the 2026 World Cup.
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