‘He has the perfect profile’ – Ronaldo backs Zinédine Zidane to succeed as France’s next manager | OneFootball

Legendary Brazilian striker Ronaldo gave a wide-ranging interview to L’Equipe, in which he backs his former Real Madrid teammate Zinédine Zidane to succeed as France’s next national team manager. Zidane is the overwhelming favourite to take over Les Bleus once Didier Deschamps leaves his post after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The 49-year-old Ronaldo considers that the French maestro is the best player he has ever played football with, and the best teammate he ever had. Twenty years ago, Zidane schooled Ronaldo’s Brazil in the 2006 FIFA World Cup quarter-final, and this memory still haunts the iconic No. 9 to this day. “He delivered an absolutely exceptional performance, at the highest technical level imaginable… It was a truly masterful demonstration.”

Ronaldo revealed that, in the aftermath of the game, Zidane went to Brazil’s locker room to swap his jersey with him. But the former Inter Milan striker sent him away. “He came into our locker room, but the atmosphere was terrible, a lot of players were crying. I congratulated him, but I asked him to leave.”

Ronaldo looks forward to Zidane taking over from Deschamps as head of Les Bleus, and the Brazilian legend is adamant that his former teammate will succeed. “He has the perfect profile for the job. He has the talent, the experience, the tactical intelligence, and the ideal character. And this isn’t just a hunch; he’s already proven it with his brilliant spell as Real Madrid manager.” 

GFFN | Bastien Cheval