Zinedine Zidane's France Revolution: Staff Confirmed
Zinedine Zidane has officially locked in the team behind his France revolution – and it is anything but low-key.
The French Football Federation confirmed on Thursday that president Philippe Diallo has rubber-stamped every name on a staff list drawn up entirely by Zidane himself. The plan follows the roadmap laid out at his unveiling on 28 July, with the full backroom team to be presented to the media at the start of September.
Zidane and Barthez, reunited for Les Bleus
The headline? Fabien Barthez is back with France.
The World Cup‑winning goalkeeper will take charge of the national team’s keepers under the authority of his former team‑mate. Zidane and Barthez formed the spine of the golden generation that carried Les Bleus to the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 titles. Now they return on the other side of the touchline, bringing decades of elite international know‑how into the dressing room.
Their reunion instantly changes the tone around Clairefontaine. This is not a quiet transition from Didier Deschamps. It is a reset led by icons who have already taken France to the summit.
One name, though, is missing.
Diomede left out as Zidane leans on his inner circle
Bernard Diomede, long expected to feature in the setup, does not appear on the officially confirmed list. The former winger had been tipped for a role but was ultimately not retained in the final configuration of the staff.
Instead, Zidane has doubled down on familiarity and trust.
David Bettoni, his long‑time lieutenant from Real Madrid, arrives as assistant manager. Bettoni stood beside Zidane through Champions League triumphs and title runs in Spain; he now becomes the key voice at his shoulder with the national team.
Hamidou Msaidie joins the group as another assistant, strengthening a tactical unit built to dissect opponents in detail and manage the fine margins of international football.
Stephane Plancque steps in as scout and tactical observer, charged with reading the game from a wider lens – opponents, trends, and the small shifts that can decide a tournament.
Gregory Dupont takes on the role of strategy and performance advisor, a crucial position in a calendar where players arrive with heavy club workloads and limited time to adapt. Around them, Farid Tabet comes in as assistant coach and data video analyst, with Clement Ybert named assistant video analyst, giving Zidane a dedicated team to feed him information in real time and between camps.
The FFF also confirmed that a liaison officer will soon be added to the structure, under a formal agreement with the French Ministry of the Interior – a sign of how tightly coordinated the national setup is expected to become.
Medical unit built for a tournament push
Behind the scenes, the medical department has been assembled with equal care.
Dr Herve Collado will lead the unit, supported by osteopath Philippe Boixel and podiatrist Marc Retali. Physiotherapists Maxime Matton and Paul Olive headline a group tasked with keeping France’s stars fit, fresh, and available through intense international windows.
Every role has a specialist. Every specialist has a clear brief.
Zidane now steps into the next phase: work. With his staff in place and Deschamps’ era officially in the rear‑view mirror, preparations begin immediately for the next round of decisive international fixtures – and the first real glimpse of what a Zidane‑led France will look like.
