Emmanuel Macron wants Zinedine Zidane to “come back” to Ligue 1 “for the influence of France”, declared the Head of State on Wednesday on RMC, adding that he had “tremendous admiration” for the former Real Madrid coach, mentioned to lead the Paris SG. Seeing the 49-year-old French technician, three-time Champions League winner on the Real bench and now free of any contract, arrive at PSG, would be “great”, said the President of the Republic in this interview.
“I haven’t spoken to Zinédine Zidane, but I have immense admiration for him, the player, the coach,” Emmanuel Macron said on the sidelines of a trip to Clichy-sous-Bois, Seine-Saint -Denis, on the theme of sports among young people. “We really want to have in the French championship an athlete and a coach of this talent who has been able to bring back three major cups that we covet a lot for our clubs. So I hope, for the influence of France, that he comes back, that he comes to train a big French club. That would be great,” he stressed.
“It’s important for us that the best we have trained, who have sometimes shone internationally, can come back,” added Emmanuel Macron, a declared OM supporter, who also mentioned the links between “Zizou and Marseille, his hometown. “You talked about great coaches, their heart is in Marseille too, we have the right to dream,” he joked.
Speculation around Zidane’s possible arrival at PSG is rife as the Parisian club intends to fundamentally rebuild its sports policy after convincing Kylian Mbappé to extend until 2025, despite Real Madrid’s interest in the striker star.
Incidentally, Emmanuel Macron returned to his discussions with Mbappé, who said he appreciated the “good advice” of the Head of State when making his decision. “I was able to speak with Kylian Mbappé, but he made his choice in conscience, and he showed it, he is very mature. He is building his career with a lot of sense of responsibility,” Emmanuel Macron said.
