SOCCER: France names Zinedine Zidane as new head coach

Former France midfielder Zinedine Zidane will take over as national team head coach, the French Football Federation said on Tuesday in a post on X.

The appointment of former Real Madrid manager Zidane comes two weeks after Didier Deschamps' tenure as coach ended following France's fourth-place finish at the World Cup. His final match in charge was a 6-4 defeat by England.

The 54-year-old Zidane is expected to begin his reign with an away Nations League game against Turkey before France host Italy at the Stade de France on October 2.

Deschamps, who left the role after 14 years at the helm, oversaw 185 matches and 120 victories, guiding France to the 2018 World Cup title, the 2020-21 Nations League trophy, and the Euro 2016 and 2022 World Cup finals.

The two share a long association, having been teammates in France's 1998 World Cup-winning side on home soil.

Zidane played a pivotal role in that triumph and won the Ballon d'Or that year.

-Reporting by Inti Landauro and Suramya Kaushik, editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Ed Osmond/Reuters