Zidane conjures sublime touchline touch as France overturn Belgium in Nations League

Zinedine Zidane reminded everyone why he was once the world’s finest footballer during France’s 4-1 Nations League victory over Belgium at the Stade de France on Monday, producing a moment of effortless control on the touchline that quickly went viral.

The 54-year-old head coach, dressed in a suit and black leather shoes, brought a clearance from Belgium goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoort down from the sky in the 92nd minute with the kind of unhurried composure that defined his playing career. France forward Rayan Cherki could not resist commenting afterwards: “Zidane had some nice first touches tonight with those big polished shoes of his.”

The touchline cameo came at the end of a remarkable second half for France, who had trailed 1-0 until the 77th minute before scoring four times in 14 minutes to seal a dominant victory. By every statistical measure — possession, shots, shots on target, touches in the opposition box and expected goals — France outclassed their opponents after the interval.

It was the most complete performance of Zidane’s tenure since he returned to management with the national team last month. Across his opening four matches, France have won three and drawn one, a run that has taken them to the top of their Nations League group with two games still to play in the November international break.

Zidane acknowledged the difficulty of the first half but was full of praise for how his squad responded. “This is soccer, this is what we love,” he 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.”

Fans on social media were equally enthused by the manager’s touchline moment. “Class is immortal,” read one widely shared response, while another wrote: “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.”