Zidane fails to sway Azure as The Voice Kids talent chooses Santa

Zinédine Zidane made a special appearance on The Voice Kids to help Soprano recruit Azure, a nine-year-old contestant with a strong passion for football. The France coach recorded a short video for the young singer, hoping his reputation in the sport would persuade her to join Soprano’s team. The intervention created one of the programme’s most unusual attempts to influence a contestant’s decision, but it did not produce the result Soprano wanted.

Azure had introduced herself before taking the stage as a “tomboy with a girly side”. Her presentation included several images of her playing football, giving Soprano a clear way to connect with her interests. The coach used that sporting identity as part of his appeal, promising that football could remain part of their relationship during the coaching process.

Azure then performed “Don’t Speak”, the well-known song associated with Gwen Stefani’s group. Her performance turned the chairs of all four coaches, leaving her with the full range of teams from which to choose. That response also meant the decision involved more than Soprano’s attempt to use football as a recruiting advantage.

Soprano’s video appeared on the large screen after Azure had completed her performance. Zidane began with the words, “Salut mon amie, c’est Zizou,” before giving a direct recommendation: “Listen, without hesitation, you can choose Soprano. He will take you all the way. He has a big heart and he will look after you.” The message was brief, personal and focused on both Soprano’s coaching ability and his character.

The appearance echoed an earlier moment on the programme involving Kylian Mbappé. The previous week, Matt Pokora had contacted the Real Madrid forward to help convince Jude, an 11-year-old football enthusiast, to join his team. Mbappé’s involvement also failed to settle the choice in Pokora’s favour, with Jude eventually joining Patrick Fiori’s team.

Soprano tried to make the most of Zidane’s appearance once the video ended. “I went far to get him so that you would come to my team,” he told Azure. Santa responded that she should have blocked Soprano rather than Fiori. In the programme’s format, Santa had already blocked Fiori, preventing him from competing directly for Azure after the four coaches had turned for her.

Santa also reacted warmly to Zidane’s message, calling it beautiful and touching. Soprano explained his decision to involve the former World Cup winner by saying he had heard that Azure loved football and felt compelled to use that connection. The appeal produced visible admiration from Azure, but admiration did not become a commitment to Soprano’s team.

Azure ultimately chose Santa. The decision gave the singer a second notable recruiting success in the sequence after she had blocked Fiori, while Soprano became the second coach in as many weeks to see a football superstar’s intervention fail to secure a young talent. Zidane’s message added a sporting dimension to the episode, but Azure’s final choice showed that even a World Cup-winning figure could not decide the outcome for her.