The French Football Federation (FFF) announced the initial list of Zinedine Zidane’s coaching staff on Thursday. Fabien Barthez was officially appointed as the goalkeeping coach of the France national team by the federation on the same day.
Barthez is a former goalkeeper who won the 1998 FIFA World Cup with the France national team. He also won the UEFA European Championship with France in 2000. Reports indicate he played 87 matches for the national team between 1994 and 2006 and was a finalist in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is reportedly 55 years old.
Barthez previously served as a technical consultant for the France national team's goalkeepers under coach Laurent Blanc. Sources state he held this role under Blanc. However, he did not hold any role in the national team staff during Didier Deschamps' 14-year tenure as head coach. Franck Raviot was the previous goalkeeping coach, serving from 2010 through the tenures of both Blanc and Deschamps.
After retiring as a professional player in 2007, Barthez remained very discreet in football and media circles. He worked as a general director of Luzenac Ariège Pyrénées until 2014. More recently, he was briefly part of the Toulouse FC coaching staff from 2020 to 2021, where sources say he worked as a consultant for the technical staff. His club career included spells at Toulouse, Monaco, Marseille, and Manchester United. He won the UEFA Champions League with Olympique de Marseille in 1993.
Zidane's inner circle
David Bettoni was appointed as assistant coach of the France national team under Zinedine Zidane. Bettoni is described as a close associate of Zidane who worked with him during his two spells as manager of Real Madrid. Hamidou Msaidie was also appointed as assistant coach. Like Bettoni, Msaidie is reported to be a close associate of Zidane who worked with him during his two periods at Real Madrid.
Grégory Dupont was appointed as 'Strategy and Performance Advisor' for the national team. Dupont also worked with Zidane during his two spells as manager of Real Madrid. Zinedine Zidane is reportedly 54 years old. Barthez was Zidane's teammate when France won the 1998 World Cup on home soil.
Zinedine Zidane was appointed as head coach of the France national team on July 28. Unverified reports suggest he succeeded Didier Deschamps after France lost in the 2022 World Cup semi-finals. Zidane's first training camp as head coach will take place in September. His first match will be a Nations League away match against Turkey on September 25. The full list of appointments for the coaching staff will be completed before that first match.
