Zinedine Zidane brings humour before France face Belgium

Zinedine Zidane has set a relaxed tone around France’s Nations League meeting with Belgium, turning his pre-match press conference into a series of jokes and light exchanges. The France coach confirmed that changes would be made to his starting team but kept the number of alterations undisclosed until the match.

Zidane also praised Rayan Cherki after the player’s performance against Turkey. He described the attacking midfielder as a technically gifted player who operates effectively between the lines and can produce incisive passes. Zidane added that Cherki was the kind of footballer he would have liked to play alongside.

Ousmane Dembélé will captain France in the absence of Kylian Mbappé. Zidane playfully suggested that Dembélé could appear in all four matches before making clear that this would not happen, while also highlighting the forward’s physical qualities.

The coach kept the same tone when discussing Belgium manager Mark van Bommel, recalling their former meetings as players. Zidane joked that their styles differed because van Bommel had been the one making the challenges. He nevertheless praised the Dutchman’s character and personality ahead of their reunion on the opposing benches.