Zidane, concern grows

Still without a club or selection for almost three years, Zinedine Zidane could still lack opportunities in the coming months. Where will it end up bouncing?

It’s been almost three years. Thirty-four months, roughly speaking, that Zinedine Zidane has been without a position, looking for a club or a selection. And the mystery remains about the date of his return to a bench.

The situation is quite clear with the inscrutable Zidane. He wants to return to service, but clearly not just anywhere. And what emerges from the L’Equipe article devoted to the former Blues playmaker is that the language barrier is an obstacle in many cases. “Zizou” speaks Spanish and Italian very well since his time at Real Madrid and Juventus, but not German, and English quite poorly. Which closes a few doors for him.

There is already Bayern Munich, which is looking for a successor to Thomas Tuchel, and which would tick almost all the boxes for Zidane (prestige, sporting and financial means, absence of rivalry with one of his former clubs, etc.). But the Bavarian giant wants a coach who can express himself easily in German or English, and this is one of the blocking points in the Zidane case.

Spain? Italy? A selection ?

In England, some nice benches will be free this summer, like those of Liverpool and perhaps Manchester United, but the language problem remains present. In Spain, then? It’s impossible to imagine “ZZ” at Barcelona or Atlético, and the Real Madrid bench will not be free before 2025, when the local press would dream of seeing Xabi Alonso arrive. That leaves Italy, and Juventus, or why AC Milan, where Stefano Pioli seems at the end of his race.

The final option, of course, is the arrival of the 1998 world champion at the head of a selection. Algeria tried its luck in vain, Brazil was an attractive option. For the French team, it is locked until 2026, a priori, unless the Blues of Didier Deschamps achieve a catastrophic Euro. And so, Zidane waits. And U.S. too.