Zidane's Five-Year Silence: Only France Was Worth the Wait, Apparently

France's new man, Zidane, finally broke cover. He'd been courted by 'clubs' for the better part of five years, apparently. All rejected. According to Sky Sports, anyway. His line at the inaugural presser, after Didier Deschamps finally stepped down? Simple: 'This job is the only job I wanted to do after my career with Real Madrid.' A man with standards, or just supremely patient?

Deschamps put in 12 years. Quite a run. He bagged the 2018 World Cup and the 2021 Nations League. Even managed two World Cup and European Championship runner-up finishes. Not bad. Now Zidane takes over. His own CV, of course, isn't exactly shabby: three straight Champions League titles, two La Liga crowns with Real Madrid between 2016 and 2018. But he's not promising revolution. Just 'continuity.' We'll see.

Sure, 'we're going to do things differently,' he admitted. 'But it's not a clean break.' Right. The goal, naturally: 'I want to maintain continuity so that the French team keeps winning.' Because that's what we expect.

Don't think the 54-year-old was just lounging around, though. He 'stressed' he was 'actively preparing.' More matches watched than during his Madrid days, even. Apparently, he's not sweating his international management debut. Calls it 'a completely different job,' something that 'suits his current life balance.' Convenient.

French FA president Philippe Diallo recounted the conversation. Zidane's pitch? Simple: 'I know how to win.' And just like that, the federation handed him the keys. Gotta admire the confidence, or perhaps question the vetting process.