Zinedine Zidane rolled back the years with a magical touchline moment during France's 4-1 win against Belgium on Monday. The former Real Madrid boss returned to management with the France national team last month and has since enjoyed an impressive start to life back in the dugout, winning three and drawing one of his opening four matches. It's a run that has seen France go top of their Nations League group with two more games remaining during the November international break.
A complete performance at the Stade de France
Although France was 1-0 down until scoring four times in 14 second-half minutes, it felt as though the performance was the most complete since Zidane was appointed. They had more possession, more shots, more shots on target, more blocked shots, more touches in the opposition box, more big chances and created more expected goals (xG) than their opponents at the Stade de France.
In the end, it was a deserved win for France, and Zidane capped off a fine evening's work when he produced a moment of magic on the touchline. The incident occurred in the 92nd minute when, after Belgium goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoort's clearance went out for a throw-in, Zidane showed that he hadn't lost an inch of the control and composure he had in his playing career by beautifully bringing the ball down out of the sky.
Fans and players react to Zidane's touch
Footage caught on camera saw Zidane, who was wearing a suit along with some black leather shoes, cut an emotionless figure as he made the touch, though fans were quick to praise the 54-year-old on social media.
One fan said on X: "Zidane, since his debut with the French national team, he's been pulling off some insane moves in every single match. It's really getting out of hand at this point." A second added: "France manager Zinedine Zidane still making it look easy." A third wrote: "Class is immortal." Another put: "I feel sorry for those who are too young to have watched Zidane in his prime. The sort of player who seemed to make others go into slow-motion whenever he had the ball."
France forward Rayan Cherki, meanwhile, chipped in with his assessment of Zidane's sublime touch, and said: "Zidane had some nice first touches tonight with those big polished shoes of his."
Zidane delighted with team effort
Overall, despite trailing up until the 77th minute, Zidane was delighted with France's performance against Belgium, capping off a good first international break for him.
"This is soccer, this is what we love," Zidane said. "We faced some difficulties in the first half, but that's part of the game; it's the kind of match you get from time to time."
"It's good to set things right – which is what we did – and we managed to play an extraordinary second half. We knew the substitutes could change the game because they are high-quality players."
"But, once again, it was a complete team performance; while the substitutes might have made the difference when they came on, everyone has been good over these past two weeks - everyone played their part, and that's what stands out to me."
France and Zidane are next in action when they make the trip to Italy on November 12. They then host Turkey three days later to conclude their Nations League group.
