"What shocked me during the first week of training was his technical range. He's lost none of his ability." That's Manu Koné, a 25-year-old Serie A midfielder who plays for Roma, genuinely taken aback by his 54-year-old head coach spraying passes around in training like it's 2002.
Zinedine Zidane has barely been in the France job five minutes, and he's already doing more press-conference work than some of his own players. But you can't really blame anyone for being fascinated. A two-time World Cup finalist turned club legend turned European Championship winner turned Champions League-winning manager — now trying to take Les Bleus somewhere they haven't been since that 2018 triumph.
Watching a legend up close
Koné was a child when Zidane was headbutting Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final. He never got to watch him dominate a Ballon d'Or cycle or control Champions League nights in person. Seeing him whip in crosses and spray diagonals in training, then, carries a different weight for this generation of French players.
"Seeing it in person is even better, especially at his age," Koné said. "To see that he still has that technique now means it must have been incredible in his era."
It's a fun anecdote. But there's something more useful buried underneath it — Zidane is connecting with his players. Koné says the coach has told him to play freely, given him more responsibility, and specifically coached him on his positioning. For a midfielder who scored twice for Roma against Inter Milan in a top-of-the-table Serie A clash just two weeks ago but has gone 21 France appearances without a goal, that kind of coach-player relationship matters.
France vs Italy — and the Zidane ovation
Friday's Nations League match at Stade de France against Italy will be Zidane's home debut as manager, and Koné is already anticipating the reception. "We will see that on Friday, the ovation he gets." The last time these two nations met in a final, Zidane got sent off. The French public forgave him immediately. That kind of goodwill doesn't expire.
France opened their Nations League campaign with a 1-0 win in Turkey, with Koné deployed in a disciplined defensive midfield role — sitting in front of the back four rather than driving forward. It worked. Whether Zidane loosens that leash against Italy remains the tactical question of the week.
As for Koné's goal drought in a France shirt: "The goal will come. But the important thing is to meet the coach's requirements." Twenty-one caps without a goal is the kind of number that quietly shapes a player's narrative at international level. Zidane's confidence in him is the best thing he's got going right now.
