Zinedine Zidane considering shock return to management, with dream job unavailable: report

Former French footballer Zinedine Zidane looks on during a promotional day with gaming brand EA Sports at the Z5 sports complex in Aix-en-Provence, southern France, on June 21, 2023. Electronic Arts Inc announced FC FUTURES, a major programme to invest in community football worldwide with the aim of growing the sport for all. The programme will see investment over the next three years in a number of local football projects. This announcement follows the revelation by EA SPORTS of its new identity, new logo and new vision for the future of interactive football: EA SPORTS FC.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Zinedine Zidane is currently considering an offer from a European giant to make a surprise return to management, having been out of work since 2021 when he left Real Madrid.

Since then, Zidane has seemingly been waiting for the France national men's team manager role to come up for grabs, with plenty of reports highlighting how he dreamed of taking charge of his country.

But Didier Deschamps looks set to lead the nation at the 2026 World Cup, meaning Zidane might have to wait at least another two years until his dream jobs becomes available. Therefore, other options have started to present themselves to him, with one under particular consideration. 

Zinedine Zidane Real Madrid manager

Zidane hasn't managed in three years (Image credit: Getty Images)

According to Marca, Bayern Munich have contacted Zidane about the possibility of him replacing Thomas Tuchel at the end of the season. While the report doesn't delve into the details of Zidane's thoughts on the proposed move, the Frenchman is undoubtedly considering a return to management with the German side. 

Tuchel and Bayern agreed in February that the German boss would depart the club following the conclusion of the 2023/24 campaign, with his successor yet to be appointed. 

A number of names have been linked with the vacancy in recent weeks, with Xabi Alonso, Roberto De Zerbi and even Julian Nagelsmann all touted as possible Tuchel replacements, though the former two names, in particular, don't look like genuine possibilities anymore. 

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel is to be replaced by Zinedine Zidane

Tuchel will leave Bayern at the end of the season (Image credit: Getty Images)

If Zidane does decide to take the job in Bavaria, he would immediately be tasked with winning back the Bundesliga title they squandered for the first time in 12 seasons to Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend. Champions League glory would also sit on his remit, though that might not prove too much of a problem for the three-time Champions League-winning boss. 

In FourFourTwo's view, Bayern Munich is still an attractive proposition for any manager, and Zinedine Zidane would be wise to deliberate over any offer. Having not managed in three years, he could soon run out of credibility among the top European clubs if he does intend to continue as a manager - and there might be no better opportunity than to wrestle back the Bundesliga crown from a player he worked with at Real Madrid while assistant manager in Alonso. 

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Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.