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Zidane opts for Spanish Grand Prix five days before announcing first squad

A week before the first gathering of the French national team under his leadership, Zinédine Zidane attended the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid rather than one of the many matches involving his future internationals this weekend.

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Zidane opts for Spanish Grand Prix five days before announcing first squad
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Zinédine Zidane chose Formula 1 over football this weekend. Five days before announcing his first squad as France manager, the successor to Didier Deschamps attended the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid — the very first held in the capital — while the Manchester derby, a Barcelona-Levante match and a PSG game were being played simultaneously.

« I’m happy, really happy, I couldn’t wait to see the circuit. It’s great for me as a Formula 1 fan, » Zidane said, who lives in Madrid and is an ambassador for Alpine. He was also present on Saturday for qualifying, as shown by footage broadcast by the French team.

The former Real Madrid manager took the opportunity to congratulate Pierre Gasly on the historic pole position he secured the previous week in Italy. « I was pleased, I even sent him a message. A pole six years after winning at Monza, I was happy for him, » he said.

This weekend choice raises questions about the working method of the new manager, even though his predecessor, Didier Deschamps, also did not have the habit of traveling to stadiums to watch his players at club level — he delegated this task to his assistant Guy Stéphan or his goalkeeping coach. Zidane seems to be opting for a similar approach, following matches on television, which potentially allows him to cover several games in parallel.

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