Zidane: "For me, Dembélé is already a captain"

The start of Zinédine Zidane 's tenure as the new coach of France has been frenetic. He made his debut with an away victory against Turkey and, with hardly any time to rest, they travel to Brussels tomorrow to face Belgium on matchday two of the Nations League in search of sole possession of first place in Group 1 of League A .

Mbappé's withdrawal has been confirmed for the remainder of the break after suffering discomfort in his left knee, Zidane was asked who will replace him... and he did not clear up any doubts. " Doué and Barcola are young and very dynamic players, super interesting. I love this type of player because out wide is where the difference can be made".

Who, barring a surprise, will once again start as the main reference point will be an Ousmane Dembélé whom Zidane did not hesitate to lavish with praise. "For me, he is already a captain. He has that role even when he is not officially the captain. It shows. He is a good guy, always there for others. We have to make the most of his experience."

He praised him, as Luis Enrique once did, for his work rate. "In Turkey he played in the same position as at PSG . He does it very well. Tomorrow we have another match, we'll see how it goes for us. But Ousmane has a truly impressive work ethic. He has incredible energy. He can easily play the full 90 minutes".

He also did it with Cherki , another of his protégés. "Would I have liked to play with him? Well, yes, he is a great player. But that’s not all. That’s what interests me. Also what he can do without the ball. He can play in several positions, but I like him in midfield. He is capable of receiving balls between the lines, he delivers incredible passes. When he plays vertically, he is really interesting".

Zidane knows that the level of demand keeps rising. Ahead of them, they will face a tricky opponent like Belgium , the only national team that scored against Spain in the World Cup. "They are a very good team. They had a great World Cup and they have some players who, individually, are excellent. We know it’s going to be a great match."

Opposite him, he will come up against a Mark van Bommel whom he faced on more than one occasion as a player. "We don't have exactly the same style, because he was the one who attacked me and put in tackles on me. But I liked his style, he had a lot of character and personality on the pitch".

He does invite his players, of course, to "enjoy the moment." "I see that they are happy to be together. Football flies by. I’m 54 years old, I can no longer play. So I tell them to enjoy the moment, because it flies by. The French national team is so wonderful that I want them to experience these moments."

'Before finishing, he wanted to send a message to the victims affected by the fires that occurred in France during the last few days. "I am saddened by what happened, all these uncontrollable situations that are causing so much pain to families. I hope there are no more disasters like this. That is what we wish."'