PARIS, Oct 2 – France head coach Zinedine Zidane admitted feeling “incredibly emotional” as he prepares to lead Les Bleus out at the Stade de France for his first home match in charge during Friday’s UEFA Nations League fixture against Italy.
The matchup returns Zidane to the scene of his iconic 1998 World Cup triumph against Brazil. Speaking at a pre-match news conference on Thursday, the former Real Madrid manager reflected on his history at the national stadium while looking ahead to his home debut.
“I’m not going to be too original, I think it’s what we did with the guys in ’98. It was a dream to win the World Cup, especially against Brazil. We made it happen,” Zidane said. “It’s incredibly emotional, even more so tomorrow with the fans. We’re ready for this match. We’ve prepared well. We haven’t had any particular problems, it’s great.”
Facing Italy and Reflecting on 2006
Zidane’s home debut arrives following back-to-back 1-0 away victories over Turkey and Belgium last month. Facing Italy carries extra symbolic weight, as his final match as a professional player was the 2006 World Cup final against the same nation, marked by his headbutt on Marco Materazzi and subsequent red card.
Addressing the historical context, Zidane stated: “The images always remind me of it since they’re constantly replayed everywhere. Luckily, I haven’t only done that. There are other positive memories too. I have no regrets; it’s part of my career. I’m not proud of what happened… You can’t only do good things, but there were good things as well.”
Match Expectations
Italy enter the Nations League clash in a rebuilding phase under manager Roberto Mancini after failing to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup. Despite Italy’s recent struggles, Zidane cautioned that the fixture remains high-risk.
“My players are ready for a third match against a good team. Anything can happen in a single match. We’ll be playing against a tough side,” Zidane added.
–NMT
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