(FILES) France football team captain Zinedine Zidane speaks during a press conference in Clairefontaine, near Paris on February 28, 2006. France squad will face Slovakia in a friendly international match at the Stade de France on March 1, 2006. Zidane has been appointed as the new head coach of France national football team at the French Football Federation headquarters (FFF) in Paris on July 28, 2026. The former France playmaker, who won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship as a player, has long been viewed as the leading candidate for the role and has been waiting for an opportunity to take charge of the national team for several years. (Photo by PASCAL PAVANI / AFP via Getty Images)