We've spent years debating whether Zinedine Zidane is genuinely a great manager or simply a great man who happened to be standing in the right dugout. Now, with France, we might finally get an answer.
Zidane took charge of Les Bleus for the first time on Friday, leading them out in a Nations League fixture against Turkey. After years of rumour and waiting, the most enigmatic figure in world football is now responsible for the most perplexing national team in it. If that pairing doesn't produce clarity, nothing will.
The Record That Raises More Questions Than It Answers
Here are the facts: Zidane won three consecutive Champions Leagues at Real Madrid, a feat no other manager has matched. He sits alongside Bob Paisley, Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique as one of only five coaches to win the competition three or more times, behind only Carlo Ancelotti in total. He also won two La Liga titles across four full seasons. On paper, that is an extraordinary record.
And yet the nagging doubt has never gone away, because it is almost impossible to point to a specific moment in those campaigns and say: "There. That's Zidane." He didn't assemble the midfield three of Casemiro, Modric and Kroos. He didn't reinvent Ronaldo or Bale. The 2016 run included a Fernando own goal to edge past Manchester City before beating Atletico on penalties in what was a thoroughly forgettable final. The 2018 triumph owed plenty to a shoulder injury to Mohamed Salah, a howler from Loris Karius, and a Gareth Bale wonder goal that Zidane had nothing to do with.
Were Madrid brilliant because of Zidane, or did Zidane look brilliant because Madrid were brilliant? It is a question nobody has satisfactorily answered, and he has offered precious little to help.
[Real Madrid's domestic form has continued to throw up the same riddles for whoever sits in that chair.](/uprise/football/carlos-esp-gives-real-madrid-hope-in-the-face-of)
France Are the Perfect Test Case
France under Deschamps reached three major finals. They had a squad so loaded with talent that, as the source puts it, their B team would be serious World Cup contenders. And yet they rarely played football that matched their personnel, not until this summer's World Cup, where they attacked with ambition and then got overrun in midfield by Spain in the semi-final. Progress, but also a hint that Deschamps's caution had limits.
Deschamps did, across 14 years, keep a notoriously difficult dressing room in order. He prevented the kind of breakdowns that had embarrassed France before him. That matters. [Kylian Mbappe alone is enough of a personality to test any manager's authority.](/uprise/football/kylian-mbapp-leaves-nike-after-20-years-to-sign-boot)
Zidane has already moved to stamp his presence on the group, banning press from attending player arrivals at Clairefontaine. His squad includes a number of new faces. This is not a smooth continuation of the Deschamps era.
The key thing about managing a national team is that there is nowhere to hide. No transfer window to paper over problems, fewer training sessions to work with, more autonomy but also more exposure. At club level, Zidane could almost dissolve into his squad's brilliance. With France, on an international stage, the curtain may finally come back.
We are going to find out, one way or another, whether Zidane is the wizard or just a very good-looking man who stood close to one.