Fabien Barthez returns to wearing the blue jersey, but this time from the opposite side of the touchline. The French Football Federation announced on Thursday the appointment of the former goalkeeper to the role of goalkeeping coach for the France team. The 1998 World Cup champion thus joins the coaching staff around Zinédine Zidane, named head coach of the Blues on July 28.
Football : Zinedine Zidane officially named France's national team head coach
The French Football Federation on July 28 announced the appointment of Zinédine Zidane as head coach of the France national team. The former Ballon d'Or winner succeeds Didier Deschamps after fourteen years in charge of the Blues. [Read more]
At 55, Fabien Barthez is no stranger to the setup. Between 1994 and 2006, the goalkeeper earned 87 caps with the France team, lifting the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. He had already worked with the Bleus’ goalkeepers as a consultant before the Didier Deschamps era and had also taken on a role with Toulouse FC.
Barthez is reuniting with an old comrade. With Zidane, the two men shared the brightest chapters of the national team, from France 98 to the 2006 World Cup final. Their partnership now continues on the bench, within a coaching staff that also includes David Bettoni as assistant coach, Hamidou Msaidie as assistant coach, and Grégory Dupont as strategy and performance advisor. The FFF notes the staff will be further expanded before its formal unveiling in early September.
Barthez will return to Clairefontaine in September, ahead of the Zidane era’s first gathering, which is scheduled in Turkey on September 25 for the Nations League. This time he won’t be protecting the French goal himself: the former number 16 will be tasked with preparing the successors who will take over between the posts.
Zinédine Zidane has officially been named France's new head coach. After an initial trip to Turkey, his home debut is scheduled for early October 2026 at the Stade de France, with two Nations League fixtures on the calendar. [Read more]
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Football : Zinedine Zidane officially named France's national team head coach
When will Zidane's France play its first matches at the Stade de France?
