09 January 2023 , 10:15
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Real Madrid have joined Kylian Mbappe in criticising comments made by France FA president Noel Le Graet towards Zinedine Zidane.
France FA president Le Graet said he "did not care" that Zidane was the subject of an approach from the Brazilian FA, who were interested in appointing the former midfielder. That led Mbappe to accuse Le Graet of "disrespecting" the former Madrid boss.
Zidane had been linked with replacing Didier Deschamps as France boss but those rumours ended after Deschamps extended his contract with Les Bleus through to 2026. Deschamps led his injury-hit side to the World Cup final where they were just a penalty shootout away from retaining their trophy in a remarkable final defeat against Argentina.
Zidane has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in the summer of 2021 and was linked to the Manchester United hot seat last season. The legendary former midfielder has frequently spoken of his desire to return to management after two successful stints at the helm of Real Madrid.
With the France job now out of the question for another three-and-a-half years, Zidane has been linked to multiple other national team roles. Brazil, the United States and Portugal are all said to have placed the former midfielder on their respective shortlists.
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Le Graet said he "did not care" about Zidane's future and claimed he "wouldn't even have picked up the phone" had the former midfield star – an icon in France having spearheaded their 1998 World Cup success – tried to contact him.
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The France FA president was accused of "disrespect" by Mbappe, the current star of Les Bleus, and has now faced criticism from Spanish giants Madrid.
The Real Madrid statement reads:"Real Madrid C. F. laments the unfortunate comments made by the president of the French Football Federation, Noel Le Graet, regarding Zinedine Zidane, one of the world's biggest sporting legends.
"These remarks show a lack of respect for one of the most admired figures by football fans around the world and our club is awaiting an immediate correction. Zinedine Zidane, World and European champion representing his country, amongst many other honours, he embodies the values of the sport and has proven this throughout his professional career as a player and as a coach.
Zidane has not been out of football since leaving Real Madrid 18 months ago (Getty Images)"The statements by the president of the French Football Federation are inappropriate for someone holding such representation and are in themselves unsuitable, like those he also made about our captain Karim Benzema, current Ballon d'Or, Nations League champion with France in 2021 and winner of 5 Champions Leagues, amongst many other honours."
French president Emmanuel Macron has recently spoken of his ambition to help persuade Zidane to return to football in Ligue 1, amid links with the Paris Saint-Germain post. Despite being from the city of Marseille – who are domestic rivals of the French capital club – Zidane had been strongly linked to replacing Mauricio Pochettino in the PSG hot seat earlier this year, but Christophe Galtier was appointed in the role.