Zidane Era Begins for France – Cherki's Opportunity
The wait is over. Zinedine Zidane, the man who defined a generation in blue, is finally stepping into the technical area as manager of the France national team.
This international break is no longer just another pause in the club calendar. It is the start of something new, something loaded with history and expectation. Zidane has won almost everything as a player and as a coach. Now he takes on the one job that has followed him like a shadow for years.
And in his very first squad, one name jumps out: Rayan Cherki.
A new boss, a new chance
At 23, the City attacking midfielder is no longer a prospect peeking through the door of the national team. With 14 caps and two goals for Les Bleus, he has worked his way into the core of the setup. Now the challenge shifts: not just to stay in the squad, but to convince Zidane he belongs at the heart of this new project.
The excitement around the camp is obvious. This is Zidane – the World Cup winner, the Champions League serial collector, the icon these players grew up watching. For Cherki, the prospect of working under him feels almost surreal.
"It is going to be an honour to join a new manager, especially Zidane," he told Canal+. "We’re looking forward to starting work with him and really enjoying the experience."
There was no need for him to dress it up. The respect is clear. So is the hunger.
Form to match the ambition
Cherki does not arrive at Clairefontaine looking for rhythm. He brings it with him.
Over the weekend, he scored in City’s 5-3 win over Sunderland in the Premier League, another sharp display in a growing collection. That strike took him to three goals in five league matches this season – the numbers of a player who is not just involved, but decisive.
Stretch the view across all competitions and the picture remains bright: four goals and two assists in eight games. End product, variety, consistency. Exactly the kind of form that catches a new manager’s eye.
For a player desperate to make a statement under Zidane, the timing could hardly be better.
Zidane’s first look
As the squad gathers this week, every session will carry a different weight. Zidane is not just finalising tactics; he is forming first impressions, testing combinations, deciding who he can trust when the pressure hits.
The players know it. Every rondo, every tactical drill, every small-sided game becomes an audition.
For Cherki, this is a golden window. He has already shown he can handle the demands of top-level club football. Now comes the step that defines careers in France: proving you can do it in the shirt of Les Bleus under a coach whose standards are unforgivingly high.
He will want his club form to spill straight into the national team environment – same confidence, same risk-taking, same final ball. No hesitation, no deference to the occasion.
Zidane’s debut on the international touchline will dominate the headlines. But within that larger story, players like Cherki are fighting to write their own chapters.
Some will drift in and out of this first squad. Others will become fixtures of the Zidane era.
Cherki has made it this far. Now he has to decide which side of that line he wants to live on.
