"Soon!" Zidane is counting down to joining the French team, Deschamps Saud retires?

Sports Weekly All-Media Reporter Wang Qinbo

On November 10, Zidane made a public appearance in Toulon, a city in southern France, and attended a charity match. He didn't shy away from saying that he was about to return to the coaching bench.

This charity match was organized by Zidane's friend Pascal Olmeta and featured many football and rugby stars. The proceeds will be donated to a charity organization called "One Hope, One Smile, for Life" to help the physical and mental health of sick children and their families.

Zidane was unable to play the game. He recently suffered a thigh injury, which is why he was unable to show off his footwork when he participated in the "Cannes Legends" event with his old friends on October 30. However, Zidane is very true to his promise, whether it is an event in Cannes or in Toulon, he ensures that he is present.

Of course, the reporters present will not let go of the important issue of his coaching plan. Zidane is in a good mood, as he has been doing recently when attending various events. He smiled and said, "I also wanted to play, but after all, my age is here. Unfortunately, I occasionally get injured. Today I will be a little coach."

A reporter asked him: "So, when can we see you on the court again?"

Zidane replied: "Hopefully soon!"

Another reporter asked: "What about on the coaching bench?"

Zizou laughed: "It will be soon."

Since Deschamps has confirmed that he will end his career as France coach after the 2026 World Cup, Zidane, who has been idle since leaving Real Madrid in 2021, has always been regarded as the most popular candidate to take over the French national team. Even his former national team teammates said that this time it must be Zidane's turn.

Deschamps is also considering his future coaching plans. After leaving the French team, he will look for somewhere else to continue his coaching career. In a recent interview with France TV, Deschamps confirmed that he had indeed been in contact with a Saudi club, although Deschamps did not disclose which club was interested in him.

"Team" immediately excavated this and confirmed that the club is Jeddah United, which is the club where Benzema, Kante, Avar and Moussa Diaby belong. The club had tentatively tried to see if Deschamps was interested in coaching, with the intention of letting him replace then-coach Blanc, but later the club chose Conceição.

However, due to the frequent coaching changes at Jeddah United, Nuno, Gallardo, Blanc and others did not stay for long before, so the French media believes that this club still retains the possibility for Deschamps.

Deschamps said, "I will not close any doors, but I have no specific plans at the moment. Based on the other party's offer, I will make a choice. I will not rule out anything. But I have no clear plans now, and I do not want to predetermine what my future will be. This matter does not bother me. I say again, I will not close any doors, except coaching another national team." Deschamps said that coaching a foreign national team is "very difficult" for him, "although it is absolutely impossible to say absolutely not. Yes, but considering what the French team means to me, what "La Marseillaise" means to me... I can't imagine myself sitting on the coaching bench listening to another national anthem."

If he is willing to go to Saudi Arabia after leaving France, the 57-year-old Deschamps may. It is clear that with his age and coaching experience, it is difficult to find a coaching position in today's European football giants, unless he takes up the position in a fire-fighting manner, but that is extremely risky. Instead, going to Saudi Arabia to pan for gold and earn a pension is a very realistic option.

Deschamps is very familiar with the Saudi league because he must pay attention to the situation of his players in Saudi Arabia. Currently, he has two players playing in Saudi Arabia, namely Theo Hernandez and Kante. Deschamps has never publicly criticized the league, nor has he ever asked any player to give up playing in Saudi Arabia in order to play for the national team. On the contrary, he believes that the level of the Saudi league is sufficient to support the participation of French national team players.

Deschamps said in the interview, "Nothing will be ruled out by then." However, he also stated that he ruled out returning to Juventus.

Although Spalletti has replaced the dismissed Tudor as the coach of Juventus, the Juventus coaching position is still an unresolved issue, especially since the new general manager of Juventus, the French Comolli, is very concerned about choosing one of his own as the coach. Deschamps is a Frenchman who has played and coached at Juventus and seems to be included in the consideration. However, Deschamps broke up with the club after leading the "Old Lady" from Serie B back to Serie A in the 2006-07 season. At that time, he clearly felt that he was not trusted by the environment. This time in a television interview, he made it clear that he had no intention of returning to work in Piedmont.