BREAKING : Giuntoli has meet Zidane in Turin

Zidane is the main candidate for the role of France’s head coach after Deschamps. But there are reflections about the Juventus bench.

The name of Zinedine Zidane has always been able to ignite the passion of Juventus fans. The 52-year-old coach, of Algerian descent, has been without a team since 2021, after his second spell at the helm of Real Madrid. This tenure wasn’t as successful as the first, but it still brought a La Liga title.

There have been no shortage of offers for Zizou, but as a Marseillais, he didn’t feel ready to accept a call from Paris Saint Germain. He also explained that his lack of fluency in English influenced his decision to turn down Premier League proposals.

Zinédine Zidane played for Juventus Turin between 1996 and 2001. (B. Papon L’Équipe 📸)

One of his goals is to become the head coach of the French national team, with which he reached two World Cup finals as a player: the home win in 1998 and the loss in Berlin in 2006 to Italy, marked by his infamous headbutt to Materazzi, leading to his expulsion.

Current head coach Didier Deschamps has already announced he will leave after the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the USA, thus paving the way for his former teammate: “Zidane in my place? He’s a very valid candidate, talented and natural. But we’ll have to see what he wants and what the president decides.”

Giuntoli has contacted Zidane

Cristiano Giuntoli might try to change Zidane’s mind. According to exclusive information gathered by Calciomercato, there was a visit to Turin by the French coach.

Shaun Botterill 📸

It was an informal meeting between Zizou and the Juventus technical director: a sort of exploratory survey by the Bianconeri to protect themselves in case of a coaching change.

It’s important to note that, for now, Thiago Motta‘s job is not at risk, but, as always, the future depends on results. The minimum objective is qualification for the next Champions League, along with a good run in international competitions, which generates significant revenue for the club.

With Spain’s rise over Italy in the UEFA rankings today (thanks to Real Sociedad’s victories in the Europa League and Betis’ in the Conference League, compared to Roma’s draw against Porto), there’s a risk that the fifth-place finish in Serie A may not be enough to qualify for the top European competition. In short, the future remains uncertain.