Zinedine Zidane has been tipped to take over as new Paris Saint-Germain coach if the French giants are knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid in the coming weeks.
However, it has also been claimed that Zidane might have been in charge at PSG already had it not been for the draw that pitted them against his former club.
Having led Real to three Champions League titles in the space of two and a half years, as well as La Liga triumphs in each of his two spells in the Bernabeu hot seat, Zidane is arguably the most coveted coach in world football currently without a job.
The Frenchman was linked with Manchester United in November when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked, but had little interest in taking over at Old Trafford.
Current PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino is under pressure to deliver at Parc des Princes. He couldn’t steer the club to the Ligue 1 title last season, finishing behind Lille. And while domestic glory looks a certainty this year, PSG’s ultimate goal is to win the Champions League.
The Argentine has a contract in the French capital until 2023, but equipped with a squad that contains Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, the expectations are higher than ever.
Telefoot’s Julien Maynard has claimed that Zidane could have been appointed PSG coach by now. The thing that is stopping him is seemingly a respect for Real, whom they are due to meet on 15 February in Paris and again on 9 March in Madrid.
Zidane has spent most of the past 21 years formally associated with Real. He joined the club as the world’s most expensive player in 2001, retiring with Los Blancos in 2006 and later being appointed as an advisor to president Florentino Perez in 2009.
He took on an advisory role to the first team in 2010, was promoted to sporting director in 2011 and was made assistant first-team coach two years later, before then being handed control of the club’s Castilla squad and eventually taking over as first-team head coach in 2016.
Since leaving Real for the second time last year, Zidane has also been heavily tipped to become the next France national team coach. Current boss Didier Deschamps has a contract until after the 2022 World Cup next winter, meaning Zidane would have to wait until the start of 2023 at least for that job.
For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!
