He's still got it: France players blown away by Zidane's ability in training

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FT Desk

Zinedine Zidane is one of the greatest players in history and won everything there was to win in the sport, including several league titles, the Champions League, the World Cup and the European Championships.

He won the Ballon d'Or in 1998, which solidified his status as the best in the world at the time.

Zidane would also go on to have a glittering managerial career, winning three Champions League titles and two La Liga titles among other honours at Real Madrid.

After a spell away from the game, he was confirmed as the new head coach of France following the 2026 World Cup and the tenure of Didier Deschamps, who led Les Bleus to World Cup glory in 2018.

Some of the French players may be too young to remember Zizou in his playing heyday, but they are getting a front-row seat to see his abilities now - even at the age of 54.

"What shocked me during the first week of training was his technical range. He's lost none of his ability," midfielder Manu Kone said on Tuesday.

"Seeing it in person is even better, especially at his age. It's true that I was little when he was near the end of his career. To see that he still has that technique now means it must have been incredible in his era."

As a midfielder, Kone can learn a lot from Zidane and it appears the coach is already having a positive impact on his game.

"It's a pleasure to be coached by Zidane, a world legend. He's told me to play freely and given me confidence," the Roma midfielder added.

"He was a midfielder, so as a midfielder I listen to everything he says and I can only learn by his side. He advises me a lot about my positioning and gives me more responsibility."

Zidane scored two goals in the 1998 World Cup final against Brazil and afterwards his image was famously beamed onto the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

The Real Madrid legend started his tenure at France with a narrow 1-0 victory away against Turkiye. This Friday, he will undoubtedly receive a raucous reception from the home fans in his first match in France as boss - a fixture against Italy at the Stade de France in the Nations League.