What looked like a pipe dream for supporters of French soccer giants PSG just a few months ago is closer to becoming a reality now. French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane is reportedly the favorite for the manager post at Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
The Parisian club’s manager, Mauricio Pochettino is expected to get fired in the upcoming days. According to sources, Zidane’s contract will run through 2025.
Zinedine Zidane is joining PSG: why now?
PSG owners in Qatar had long made Zidane a favorite for the position. However, two things have prevented the two sides from reaching an agreement until now.
First, the ex-Real Madrid player and manager wants to head the French national team. However, the current head coach, Didier Deschamps, is not expected to quit in the near future.
It would take a catastrophic performance of France at the World Cup later this year for Deschamps to lose his job.
While possible, this is unlikely because the French team posses some of the best players on the planet at the moment, like Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappé.
Secondly, Zidane is from Marseille, Paris’ arch rival on the domestic scene. However, Olympique de Marseille is no longer competing in the same category as Paris. PSG is backed by a lot of financial power.
So, Marseille cannot afford a coach or manager on Zidane’s level with three consecutive UEFA Champions League wins under his belt.
Zinedine Zidane in Paris: a boost for Ligue 1 soccer
Friday, French media started buzzing louder about a Zidane move to Paris. Soccer fans in Marseille and Madrid have taken to social media to voice their anger and disappointment.
However, French President Emmanuel Macron, a huge supporter of Marseille, sees things differently. He believes this is a big win for the country.
Earlier this week, he told local media: “I haven’t spoken to Zinedine Zidane, but I have immense admiration for him, the player, the coach. We really want to have, in the French championship, an athlete and coach of this talent who has been able to bring back three major cups that we covet a lot for our clubs.”
He continued: “I wish for the influence of the French championship and for France that he comes back and that he comes to train a big French club, it would be great. It’s my role to say that France is a great nation of sport and football and that there are great audiences who love this sport. It is important to us that the best [are here].”
Paul Pogba and Ousmane Dembélé are next on Paris Saint-Germain’s list
PSG fans are hoping that Zidane will help the team reach the pinnacle of European football with Mbappé and Lionel Messi, just like he did in Spain with Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.
It will not be an easy task because, in the past decade, PSG and Qatar spent billions chasing that dream without success.
In related news, according to our sources, French stars Paul Pogba and Ousmane Dembélé are also joining Zidane in Paris.
They are free agents at the moment, and agreements could be made official in the upcoming two weeks.
