Zinédine Zidane considered as a candidate to manage Spain | OneFootball

He had many incredible memories during his days in Spain as a player and a manager and he might have had a chance to manage the national team years ago.

Zinédine Zidane helped Real Madrid win La Liga and the UEFA Champions League as a player while also guiding them to both of those titles as a manager. His accomplishments as the manager of Real Madrid put him under consideration for the Spanish national team job following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The former sports director of the Spanish football federation at that time, Albert Luque, has revealed, during an interview with Cadena SER, that the former World Cup champion and Ballon d’Or winner for France was a named considered for the managerial vacancy after Luis Enrique stepped down as manager when Spain exited the 2022 World Cup in the Round of 16.

“I’ll tell you the one I had in mind and I’m going to say that for the first time, here today, who I would tried to convince: Zidane. Yes, it would have been the first time there hadn’t been a Spanish coach. And I tell you, even Luis Rubiales doesn’t know,” he said.

“I got a lot of calls from representatives, but I told them everyone not to call anymore because it could only be Luis de la Fuente,” Luque continued.

Ultimately, de la Fuente got the job, and he helped La Roja win a record fourth Euro title in 2024, defeating England in the final. The 63-year-old de la Fuente recently extended his contract with the Spanish national team until 2028.

As for Zidane, he was considered a potential replacement for Didier Deschamps before his ex-teammate with Les Bleus had his contract extended by four years after the 2022 World Cup.

Deschamps has officially announced he will leave his post as French manager at the end of the 2026 World Cup, leaving Zizou as the most likely replacement.

Zidane hasn’t coached since leaving Real Madrid in May 2021. He was approached to become the head coach of the United States men’s national team after the 2022 World Cup but declined.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre