Kylian Mbappe described playing under new France coach Zinedine Zidane as something out of a movie, 15 years after the two first met when the teenager was invited to train with Real Madrid’s youth teams.
Zidane, who succeeded Didier Deschamps as France coach, will take charge of Les Bleus for the first time Friday when they face Türkiye in a Nations League match in Izmit.
Mbappe recalled how Zidane personally picked him up and drove him to Real Madrid’s training complex when he was 13 or 14 during a trial with the club’s youth teams.
“He was the first person who picked me up to take me to Real Madrid, to the training complex. I was 13 or 14, so it was a long time ago,” Mbappe said in an interview with Spanish newspaper AS.
“Now he’s my national team coach. It’s like a film, but it’s amazing. It’s real.”
Zidane’s appointment marks a new chapter for France after Deschamps’ 14-year tenure ended following the 2026 World Cup. Deschamps’ final tournament ended with France losing to Spain in the semifinals in July.
The two-time world champions will begin their preparations for Euro 2028 with four Nations League matches during the international break, facing Türkiye and Belgium away and hosting Italy and Belgium at home.
“We’re starting a new process with France. We have two years to prepare for the European Championship and that’s what we’re focused on now,” Mbappe said.
“It’s a new era with a new coach. We have the Nations League coming up, four games, and we’ll see how they go.
“It’s going to be new for everyone because all we’ve known is Deschamps. It’s going to be a change for us, but I think everything is going to go very well.”
Mbappe has enjoyed a strong start to the season with Real Madrid, scoring eight goals in eight games in all competitions, but he failed to score in Sunday’s 2-1 derby loss to Atletico Madrid.
Jose Mourinho returned to the Santiago Bernabeu this season tasked with ending Real Madrid’s two-season wait for a major trophy, but the loss left Madrid six points behind reigning La Liga champion Barcelona.
“Other people can talk, but we have to do more and work to bring the excitement back to Real Madrid and bring the trophies back,” Mbappe said.
Mourinho criticized the refereeing after the loss to Atletico, but Mbappe declined to join the debate.
“I have my thoughts, but I keep them to myself. I’ve never been that kind of player and I’m not going to start now,” he said.
“The referee is human and makes mistakes, and there were mistakes, but I don’t want to get into that.”
