Zidane reunites with Jacquet after France-Belgium, an embrace steeped in history

Zinédine Zidane had more than just the 80,000 spectators at the Stade de France to celebrate France’s 4-1 victory over Belgium on Monday evening in the Nations League: Aimé Jacquet, the coach of the 1998 World Cup triumph, had come in person to greet his former number 10 who had become national team coach.

The scene unfolded in the corridor connecting the dressing rooms to the pitch. Jacquet, 84, walked toward a visibly moved Zidane, smiling. The two men embraced, exchanged kisses, and the former coach whispered a few words in the ear of the man who had scored a brace in the final against Brazil (3-0) twenty-seven years ago. What Jacquet told him remained inaudible, but Zidane’s reaction left no doubt about the warmth of the message.

Laurent Blanc, also a 1998 World Cup champion and Zidane’s predecessor as France coach, extended the moment by offering his own embrace to the new coach. The corridor then transformed into a family reunion: Robert Pirès, Christian Karembeu and Vincent Candela each took time to congratulate their former international teammate.

Zidane and Jacquet agreed to pose for photographers, immortalizing the encounter, before the former coach quietly departed into the depths of the Stade de France. Zidane, meanwhile, headed toward Bixente Lizarazu to answer the first post-match questions.