Loyalty first, new era: how Zinédine Zidane built France’s backroom team

In partnership with

OffsAIde

·24 September 2026

Loyalty first, new era: how Zinédine Zidane built France’s backroom team

Zinédine Zidane has assembled the Bleus’ new staff with loyalty at its core, signalling a change of era.

According to L'Équipe, the structure was planned for over a year, built through existing networks and, at times, personal closeness to the newly appointed head coach.

OneFootball Videos

Since leaving Real Madrid in 2021, Zidane had focused on this job, weighing how best to take it on and with whom.

He did not envisage the project without his trusted allies.

David Bettoni, Stéphane Plancque, Hamidou Msaidie and Grégory Dupont were central to his thinking from the outset.

Source: L'Équipe

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”

View publisher imprint

Mentioned in this article

France

Loyalty first, new era: how Zinédine Zidane built France’s backroom team | OneFootball

Loyalty first, new era: how Zinédine Zidane built France’s backroom team

OneFootball Videos

France

MORE STORIES