After Mbappe, Zidane's The Voice Kids pitch also fails for Soprano

Zinedine Zidane became the latest football star to enter the battle for a young singer on The Voice Kids, but his intervention did not deliver the result Soprano wanted. The former France captain recorded a message designed to persuade Azure, a nine-year-old contestant and keen football fan, to join the Marseille singer’s team. Despite the appearance of one of football’s most recognisable figures, Azure chose Santa instead.

Azure had already made her football interest clear in her introduction before taking the stage on TF1. She described herself as a “tomboy with a girly side”, while footage showed her with a ball at her feet. That detail quickly became central to the coaches’ efforts to recruit her. Soprano used the connection to football as his main appeal, promising to make the sport part of their work together.

The young singer then performed “Don’t Speak”, the song associated with the American group No Doubt and Gwen Stefani. Her performance gave all four coaches a reason to turn their chairs, leaving Azure with the full range of teams to choose from. The decision became a contest between the coaches, with each trying to turn her musical performance and personal interests into an argument for joining their side.

Soprano escalated his attempt by showing a video on the large screen at the centre of the stage. Zidane appeared and addressed Azure directly. “Hello my friend, it’s Zizou,” he said. “Listen, without any hesitation, you can choose Soprano. He will take you all the way. He has a big heart and he will take good care of you.” The message linked Soprano’s coaching role to Zidane’s authority and to Azure’s enthusiasm for football.

The video produced an immediate reaction on stage. Santa described the appearance as beautiful and touching, while Soprano told Azure that he had gone a long way to find Zidane for her. He added that he had heard she liked football and said he had been obliged to use that advantage. Santa then said she should have blocked Soprano rather than Patrick Fiori, who had already been prevented from trying to convince Azure to join his team.

The football appeal still failed to change Azure’s decision. She selected Santa, leaving Soprano without the contestant he had tried to attract with Zidane’s help. Santa’s successful move came after she had blocked Fiori, making the final choice even more significant: one coach was removed from contention, another used a football legend, and Azure ultimately chose the team she preferred.

The sequence repeated what happened one week earlier on the programme. Matt Pokora had contacted Kylian Mbappe to help recruit Jude, an 11-year-old boy, after using the child’s football interests in his own pitch. Mbappe’s appearance also failed to secure the desired result. Jude chose Patrick Fiori, giving the programme two consecutive examples of major football figures being used as recruiting tools without determining the contestant’s final decision.

The two episodes give football a prominent role in The Voice Kids without making it decisive. Mbappe and Zidane each offered a powerful personal appeal, but neither appearance outweighed the young singers’ own choices. For Soprano, Zidane’s message created one of the episode’s most striking moments, yet Azure’s selection means Santa leaves the contest with the nine-year-old talent. Soprano must now continue the competition with the rest of his team, while Azure begins her journey under Santa’s coaching.