Lizarazu demands end to Zidane-Deschamps comparisons at France helm

Bixente Lizarazu raised his voice on Sunday morning on the Téléfoot set, demanding that media stop drawing parallels between Zinedine Zidane and Didier Deschamps since the former’s appointment as head of the French national team.

“I’m fed up. I’m a bit annoyed right now. I’m fed up with people comparing Zizou and DD. Each has made his own path based on his professional journey, his personality, his ideas about the game… And I still see journalists making little comparisons that add nothing,” said the former France left-back.

Lizarazu sought to put Deschamps’ record into perspective, having managed the national team for fourteen years. “Didier, it’s great what he did for 14 years. He had 14 years to stamp his mark on the France team, that’s a lot. Now it’s Zizou’s time. We just need to look at what Zizou is doing in his work, what ideas he wants to bring, and just analyze that without making comparisons. It’s not positive for either of them.”

The 1998 World Cup winner concluded on an optimistic note, highlighting the fortune of this succession between two legends of French football. “We’re lucky to have this sequence, to have former players who want to become coaches and managers and to have them leading the France team. I was very happy with what Didier did, the France team was coming from far back, we need to remember that. There was the World Cup victory in 2018, not everything was perfect, but the record is very good. Now, I want Zizou to shine, to succeed, I want us to support him and for the France team to be just as strong.”