Zinedine Zidane insists he hopes to get a new managing job soon despite ‘turning down PSG approach this summer’… amid links to Saudi football
Zinedine Zidane has said he hopes to return to management in the near future.
The French footballing icon, who won three consecutive Champions League titles at Real Madrid, has been out of a job since 2021.
He has already snubbed an approach from PSG to replace the under-fire Christophe Galtier and there have been reports of interest from Saudi Arabia, as claimed by Marca.
Speaking to French outlet Téléfoot, he said: ‘Live and work again in France? Nothing should be ruled out. I know what I want and what I don’t want. If I am having this break, it is because there must be one. I hope to tell myself that soon, I am going to be able to coach.’
It was reported back in January that Zidane had turned down approaches from the USA, Brazil, and Portugal to manage their national teams.
Zinedine Zidane is eager to return to management but is waiting for the right opportunity
He won three Champions Leagues and two LaLiga titles managing Real Madrid in two stints
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi could be on the hunt for a new gaffer after an average season
Zidane was thought to be keen on the France job but the incumbent, Didier Deschamps, was handed a contract extension to 2026 in January after taking the national team to two World Cup finals, winning one, as well as a Nations League win and a Euros final.
Earlier this month, Zidane said that he felt becoming manager of Les Bleus was the next ‘logical’ step in his career but has accepted that ‘now is not the time’.
Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti has kept his job at Real Madrid and club president Florentino Perez has reportedly earmarked Xabi Alonso as a potential successor next summer.
After an illustrious playing career that saw him win the Ballon d’Or, the World Cup, and the Champions League as well as numerous domestic titles, his managerial career his been successful since he took the reins at the Bernabeu in 2016.
Across two stints at the club, he won three Champions Leagues, two LaLiga titles, and managed more games in the Los Blancos dugout than any manager since the legendary Miguel Munoz, who led them from 1960 to 1974.
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Before joining Real Madrid as a player, he had stints with Cannes, Bordeaux, and Juventus.
Cannes currently reside in the fifth tier of France and Bordeaux in the second, so those options look rather below his pedigree.
Juventus could be a possibility after two trophyless seasons under Massimiliano Allegri. The manager of the Old Lady was offered a staggering £24million per year to join Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia but has not accepted that offer as of yet.
Should he not depart of his own accord, as of April, it was going to cost the Italian giants £18m to remove him from his post, which could prove a stumbling block despite reports Zidane would be interested in the role.
