Football legend Zinedine Zidane will replace Didier Deschamps as France senior men’s national team head coach.

The French Football Federation (via Aljazeera) confirmed the appointment on X on Tuesday.

The appointment of the former Real Madrid manager comes two weeks after Didier Deschamps’ tenure as coach ended following France’s fourth-place finish at the World Cup. His final match in charge was the 6-4 defeat by England.

Zidane, 54, is expected to begin his reign with an away UEFA Nations League game against Turkiye before France host Italy at the Stade de France on October 2.

Deschamps, who left after 14 years at the helm, oversaw 185 matches and 120 victories, guiding France to the 2018 World Cup title, the 2020-21 Nations League trophy and the Euro 2016 and 2022 World Cup finals.

Both share a long association, having been teammates in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 winning side.

At club level Zidane, as coach, won three consecutive Champions League titles at Real Madrid in 2016, 2017 and 2018.