Stade de France return promises ovation as Zidane leads Les Bleus against Italy | OneFootball

Zinédine Zidane returns to the Stade de France on Friday at 20:45, leading Les Bleus against Italy, two decades after his last outing there as a player, with a rousing ovation anticipated.

As reported by Le Progres, the icon of French football now seeks to guide the side forward, and the night has been eagerly awaited by him and supporters.

He was the stadium’s first scorer, against Spain on 28 January 1998, then that July scored twice in the World Cup final. His last appearance there in blue came a little over 20 years ago, a friendly with Mexico marking his 100th cap.

Emotion is expected on the touchline and in packed stands. After two Nations League games away, Zidane has already felt his popularity remains at its peak. Team-mate Manu Koné said the squad would discover the ovation with everyone and would applaud too.

He had visualised this return long before succeeding Didier Deschamps, and says he has thought about it daily during camp, determined not to let the moment pass. France arrive with a fair wind after 1-0 wins in Türkiye and Belgium, and having rested the Izmit starters on Monday, are likely to field a more familiar side to trouble Italy.

The past will be present, but Zidane also stressed the need to write a new page at this venue that is special to many who lived powerful moments there. Expect nostalgia to mingle with hope that Zizou remains an unequalled conduit of emotion for France.

Source: Le Progres

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