Zinedine Zidane’s Take on Viral Goal Celebration Explains His Premier League Decision

Zinedine Zidane had to wait five years, suffer through three international tournaments and reject countless lucrative offers from a glut of the globe’s elite clubs before taking on his dream job with the France national team. Given his behavior, he seems to be relishing the reward for his patience.

Zidane is a character who pays desperately close attention to his image. This is someone who refused to let his face be used on shopping bags for fear of the damage to his reputation which could be done by the sight of his likeness being trampled upon amid the discarded plastics.

Yet, the cloak of serenity which he exudes was discarded while he watched Michael Olise score France’s only goal of a late victory over Belgium on Monday night. After his substitute curled a crisp effort into the bottom corner, Zidane took off down the touchline, eating up the ground with the sort of cartoonish leaps of a child jumping in puddles.

By the end of his trampling, Zidane encountered a ball devilishly sat up on a cone which he leathered along the touchline with an unorthodox straight-leg kick. It was quite a sight that was soon beamed around the world.

“I was right there with him as he took off,” a grinning Zidane told assembled media while watching the footage back. “I was fully invested in the moment.”

“As soon as I saw him start his dribble, I knew he was going to score,” Zidane added. As soon as the world saw that this beacon of calm is willing to lose himself in the moment for three points in the Nations League, everyone must now know how invested the Frenchman is in this latest venture.

Why Zidane Rejected Man Utd and Others to Take Over France

Zinedine Zidane pointing. — Zinedine Zidane has won both of his two matches by the same 1–0 scoreline. | Joris Verwijst/Soccrates/Getty Images

Zidane’s last coaching role ended at Real Madrid in the summer of 2021. Across the subsequent half-decade, a long list of teams queued up to try and cajole the legendary former midfielder back into the limelight, with Manchester United perennially tipped to make a move for the Ballon d’Or winner. Yet, Zidane never entertained a move to Old Trafford or anywhere else, with his sole focus on replacing Didier Deschamps at the helm of Les Bleus.

“I received offers to take over a club during the four or five years I was away from the game. I turned them all down for the sake of the French national team, because that was the only thing I wanted to do after my time at Real Madrid,” Zidane explained at his long-awaited unveiling in July.

“I’ve said it many times: there’s nothing greater than the French national team,” he added. “It’s an immense joy. I am happy about what is happening to me today. I am composed, yet I have a lot of emotions inside me. I am ready for the challenge; that is what drives me.”

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