Zidane misses French national anthem in winning debut as France coach

Zinédine Zidane claimed his first victory as France manager on Friday night in Turkey (1-0), though the evening was not without incident. Before kick-off, the new France boss missed the start of the Marseillaise, joining the pitch a few seconds after the rest of the French staff, while the 22 players were already lined up.

The incident did not go unnoticed. Questioned at a press conference, Zidane acknowledged the slip-up with a smile: “The protocol moved faster than expected and unfortunately, I had a small delay. But anyway… It’s true that I would have preferred to arrive at the start, but there we go.”

On the pitch, the victory sends a positive signal. No French manager had won their first match since Aimé Jacquet in February 1994 — a symbolic nod for Zidane, who holds deep respect for the coach of the 1998 World Cup champions. Thirty-two years after his first appearance in the French shirt, the emotion was palpable for him.

The evening was overshadowed, however, by Kylian Mbappé’s injury. The captain was hurt on the left knee during the play that led to his goal and was forced to leave the pitch early to return to Madrid. The health status of the France captain will be the main concern in the coming days.