Was Deschamps right to leave and will Zidane replace him?

After the 2026 World Cup, Didier Deschamps made the unexpected decision this week to step down as France’s head coach.

As one of only three players and managers to win the World Cup in both player and manager, he already has a place in history, having helped France win the trophy as a player in 1998.

The 56-year-old will have been France boss for 14 years by the time he departs, potentially after a seventh major tournament.

Is Zinedine Zidane prepared to take over and is this the right time for him to leave?

Laurens: “Deschamps should have gone after the Euros.

He is undoubtedly the greatest coach in French football history, and one of the greatest ever in all national teams. His longevity and success are remarkable.

“But the Euros really came to an end,” he continued.

” We knew there would be no Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud]both retired], two massive, massive players.

“Paul Pogba, for different reasons, is not there, N’Golo Kante, Karim Benzema.

” There was also the]Kylian] Mbappe situation. He skipped two of his previous three international breaks and wasn’t too happy.

Deschamps will lead France in the quarter-final of the Nations League against Croatia in March, as well as their preparation for the 2026 World Cup, which will follow, and the subsequent competition should they be successful. Some have questioned whether he should leave immediately.

Horncastle: “It depends how many players have bought into Deschamps and want to give him the best send-off possible. Sometimes a coach’s loyalty manifests itself in a positive way, which can be a turning point.

You could see Deschamps trying to change this team in the Nations League, and that loyalty might not exist. The core has changed.

“It depends on how the French FA acts as well. When do they believe it’s appropriate to announce a replacement?

Laurens: “Jacques Santini was a very different coach, but the negative effect that that would have had on that team had a huge impact when he announced before Euro 2004 that he would step down.”

Like Deschamps, he didn’t make the announcement 18 months prior, but it seemed like something was amiss and that we were being abandoned.

I wonder if it will have the same impact as it will, or if, as many people in France seem to believe, it will bring peace and tranquillity, improve the atmosphere, and make the players want to bid him adieu.

Zidane is the early favourite to replace Deschamps. The former captain, who won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with France, as a player has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid, where he won three Champions League’s and two La Liga titles, in 2021.

Laurens:” It looks very one-sided towards Zidane, that he has been waiting and waiting for Deschamps to step down.

“He and the national team have a very special love story,” he said, “as a player in 1998 and 2000, as a player in 2004 after the Euros, and then as a player in 2006 to save the nation and lead his team to another final.”

Although it is well known how that happened, Zidane was dismissed for a headbutt during France’s defeat in the final, there is so much passion and love between him and the national team.

Former France international Thierry Henry is another candidate for the position. He became France’s Under-21 coach in 2023 and led the France team which took silver at the Paris Olympics last summer. After the Games, he left his position.

Laurens: “They Henry and Zidane] are the two candidates. There is nobody else. They will apply, and they will, and they are the two outstanding candidates.

” Thierry is younger than Zidane. He will have another opportunity. Zidane and Thierry will likely take the job right away, in my opinion. Patrick Vieira, Thierry, they will be the French team coach one day there is no doubt.

You can find someone who already has a relationship with Mbappe and has earned him a lot of respect, but Mbappe won’t be able to choose the next France coach.

“Not that Thierry doesn’t, he and Mbappe already have a special relationship with Zidane, the Mbappe family, and Zidane,” he continues. “He and Mbappe get along really well.

” As a Real Madrid ambassador 15 years ago, Zidane tried to sign him as an 13-year-old. At the airport, Zidane almost welcomed him.