France national team manager Didier Deschamps is adamant he won’t retire once his 14-year tenure as Les Bleus boss ends this summer. The 57-year-old has confirmed two years ago that he’ll leave his post at the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Real Madrid legend Zinédine Zidane is expected to succeed his former France teammate.
On the back of his World Cup squad announcement, Deschamps faced the media during a press conference attended by Get French Football News. Quizzed on his post-World Cup plans once his contract expires, Deschamps has not changed its policy: “I won’t deny myself anything.”
The two-time World Cup winner – as a player (1998) and manager (2018) – was touted as a possible replacement for Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa, and his experience at the highest level will certainly attract suitors. “I’m available, and everybody knows it. I won’t retire after the World Cup.“
Deschamps might have hinted at his next destination in saying that he was “brushing up on his Italian, we never know.” The France national team manager has previous with Italy. He played for Juventus for five years, between 1994 and 1999, before taking the coaching role with the Old Lady, leading them up to Serie A in 2007 after the Calciopoli scandal.
