According to RMC, before becoming France's national team coach, Zidane began his coaching career at Real Madrid Castilla, Real Madrid's B team. While coaching the youth team and later the senior squad, he gradually proved his coaching abilities.

In Spain's third division, Zidane was once an "anomaly." The 1998 Ballon d'Or winner sat on the bench of a semi-professional team. Those who witnessed the beginning of his coaching career remember him as a rock star, drawing all eyes and attracting large crowds to every away match. This level of attention even forced Real Madrid to assign one or two security personnel to accompany the reserve team coach on every away trip.

In 2014, eight years after his retirement, Zidane took over Real Madrid Castilla. Dani Suárez, who played under Zidane that season, recalled: "It was his first experience as a coach; he was just starting out."

Always With a "Player's Mentality"

Dani Suárez said: "He still had that player mentality; he still wanted to participate in training with us. During passing drills, he was one of us. Even though he had been retired for a long time, every time he touched the ball, the quality of the training immediately improved!"

The centre-back recalled that Zidane was a young coach at that time who clearly knew "where he wanted to go" and wanted to gain as much experience as possible. Suárez stated: "He was very organized and had a great work ethic, with very advanced ideas. Before training, he would ask us to do injury prevention exercises; after training, he would also ask us to do individual supplementary sessions. This is common now, but when he first coached us, this approach was not yet widespread."

While coaching Castilla, Zidane always prepared himself for the future. When serving as Ancelotti's assistant, the French coach became increasingly important in the months leading up to Real Madrid winning their 10th Champions League title. At the reserve team, he even tried to adapt to coaching details in advance. Previously, Castilla's coach did not have the tradition of holding press conferences after every home match. Zidane wanted to practice this aspect to prepare for his future career.

Facing reserve team results, Zidane sometimes managed to avoid some media criticism. It was difficult for outsiders not to give more leeway to this legend. Zidane quickly found his rhythm and gained approval from the dressing room. Dani Suárez recalled: "He was close to the players and helped us. He understood our needs, knew when he could speak with us and when he shouldn't. That feeling was very comfortable. Training was also enjoyable."

David Bettoni, who partnered with Zidane, is now his assistant coach at the French national team, just as he was back at Castilla. Dani Suárez smiled and said: "Bettoni was somewhat like a 'bad cop,' but that wasn't negative. In a coaching staff, there always has to be someone who pushes you and demands more from you. It's not always about criticism, but when something isn't right, someone needs to push you a bit to drive you to your limit. Zidane was more like a manager, while Bettoni was the one who pushed us harder in training and daily tasks."

In the 2014/15 season, Zidane worked to guide this group of young players forward. He invited Ronaldo Nazário to give a talk to the team, brought the players to yoga training, and organized team-building activities.

However, his time with the reserve team did not last long. Midway through his second season, he was promoted to the senior team. This was followed by three consecutive Champions League titles, a perfect start to his tenure.

"Zidane can transform France into a championship team," said Guti.

Guti stated: "As a coach, I think he is one of the best. Everything he achieved at Real Madrid is etched in history."

Speaking about Zidane's prospects as France's national team coach, Guti said: "This role is complex because there is much praise for the France team, and they have exceptional players. But sometimes, a team cannot find cohesion and does not win the titles they should. However, I think this is a very interesting project for him, because he has a group of high-level players. Zidane can transform France into a championship team."

In Madrid, one of the more interesting aspects of Zidane taking over the French national team is that he will have Real Madrid's star striker under his command. Guti continued: "Mbappé should be the core of this team. Zidane has many top players, and he must maximize their value."

As for whether Zidane, who has won everything with Cristiano Ronaldo, can also help Kylian Mbappé reach the same level, that remains to be seen.

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