Fabien Barthez is returning to the French national team. The 1998 World Cup winner has officially joined the coaching staff of Zinédine Zidane , the new manager of Les Bleus, and will become the goalkeeping coach. At 55, the former goalkeeper with 87 caps succeeds Franck Raviot and will be responsible for the specific training of the French goalkeepers.
Zidane and Barthez reunited 20 years later
This appointment reunites two iconic figures from one of the greatest generations in the history of the French national team. Fabien Barthez and Zinédine Zidane won the 1998 World Cup and then Euro 2000 together. They also played in the 2006 World Cup final before both ending their international careers that same year. Twenty years later, they find themselves together within the coaching staff of the French national team. Barthez will now work directly with the goalkeepers selected by Zidane. A former player for Toulouse, Marseille, Monaco, Manchester United, and Nantes, the World Cup winner returns to familiar territory after having been the French goalkeeper for over a decade.
David Bettoni, Zidane's loyal assistant
Zinedine Zidane has also surrounded himself with several men he knows well. David Bettoni becomes his assistant coach. A long-time associate of Zidane's and already at his side at Real Madrid, he occupies a central role in the national team coach's new system. Hamidou Msaidie is appointed assistant coach. Grégory Dupont, who was part of the French national team's coaching staff during their 2018 World Cup victory, returns to Les Bleus as a strategy and performance advisor. Stéphane Plancque becomes a scout, while Farid Tabet takes on the role of assistant coach and video data analyst, and Clément Ybert that of assistant video analyst.
A first match in Türkiye on September 25th
Appointed manager on July 28th to succeed Didier Deschamps , Zinédine Zidane has now officially begun his tenure. The former Real Madrid coach has signed a four-year contract and is tasked with leading the French national team until the 2030 World Cup.
His first match in charge of the French national team is scheduled for September 25th with a Nations League game in Turkey. Fabien Barthez will therefore make his debut in his new role with the national team on this occasion.
The staff still needs to be completed
The coaching staff is not yet entirely finalized. Its complete composition is expected to be announced at the beginning of September. A liaison officer still needs to be appointed as part of the agreement between the French Football Federation and the Ministry of the Interior. The medical staff includes, among others, Dr. Hervé Collado, several physiotherapists, an osteopath, and a podiatrist. Laurent Georges serves as team manager within the support staff. With Fabien Barthez by his side, Zinédine Zidane is thus reuniting, twenty years after their last match in the French jersey, an iconic duo from the 1998 World Cup-winning generation.
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