The scalp kiss, version 2.0 : Fabien Barthez joins Zidane’s gang with France
The story was almost too good to sit on the shelf. Now officially appointed as head coach, Zinedine Zidane keeps hauling in his most trusted men. The latest? Fabien Barthez, handed the goalkeeper coach job. A move of the heart, a huge spotlight, and above all a combustible duo in charge of France.
It had been football’s worst kept secret for quite a while. The mood was already electric with Zinedine Zidane taking control of the national team, but the French Football Federation pressed the point home on Thursday by announcing the full staff. Among the familiar names, one figure stands out instantly: Fabien Barthez. Twenty-eight years after he had France roaring from his own goal line, the “Divine Bald One” is back in the hotseat as goalkeeper coach. The nod to history is neat, but the message is even clearer: Zizou is building his team with trusted men and plenty of steel.
A tight inner circle built for winning
Don’t expect half measures here. Zidane hasn’t padded out this new era with passengers. He has surrounded himself with the men he trusted most, the ones he won everything with on Real Madrid’s bench. David Bettoni and Hamidou Msaidie arrive as assistant coaches. To run the physical work and elite performance side, Grégory Dupont, another old Real Madrid lieutenant, takes the key role of strategy and performance adviser. Even security is locked down, with an Interior Ministry liaison officer made available. The structure will be fine-tuned before the season gets going, but the message is obvious: France are going full tilt into hyper-professional mode.
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Barthez and Maignan: a clash of instincts
Barthez taking charge of the goalkeepers is not some cheap publicity stunt. Sure, at 55, the former No 1, with 87 caps, does not arrive with a club coaching CV that stretches on forever. He has had spells as a pundit alongside Raymond Domenech and Laurent Blanc, before being frozen out throughout Didier Deschamps’s reign between 2012 and 2026, plus a short stint at TFC. But Barthez never needed a stack of badges to understand the job. His reading of the game is pure, instinctive and ruthless.
His No 1 challenge is Mike Maignan. The undisputed first choice in the France goal, “Magic Mike” has the aura and the force of personality Barthez loves. The former Marseille and Monaco keeper made no secret of that when speaking on Super Moscato Show on RMC:
“We get on very well with Mike. I love Mike, I love his game, his stance. When he plays, it’s him. There’s nothing by the book about it.”
At a time when keepers can sometimes look as if they were stamped out of the same machine, Barthez values authenticity, risk-taking and footwork, the kind of traits he helped drag into the mainstream in the 1990s. Between Maignan’s volcanic charisma and Barthez’s instincts, this could be a brilliant fit.
Turkey awaits in September
No time to linger or get sentimental. This new chapter begins with the September camp, and the first real acid test comes quickly: a hot trip to Turkey on 25 September in the Nations League. Between the home crowd and the huge pressure on this heavyweight staff, Zidane and Barthez know exactly what they are walking into. The heroes of 1998 are back in business, and the show is only just getting started.
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