Karim Benzema Supports Zidane's Potential Role as France Manager

Karim Benzema doesn’t hesitate.

Asked about Zinedine Zidane potentially taking over France in Konbini’s “In or Out” segment, the veteran striker leans straight into the idea.

“He’s a legend, he’s the big brother,” Benzema says, the words carrying the weight of nights at the Santiago Bernabeu and Champions League trophies lifted side by side. “Am I happy about him becoming the manager of Les Bleus? I don't know for sure if it’s him, but if it is him, yes, I am seriously happy.”

For years, the France national team has been Didier Deschamps’ domain. World champions in 2018, World Cup finalists again in 2022, and yet the 2026 World Cup ended with a bitter semifinal exit and a sense that an era had finally run its course. Now the French Football Federation stands on the brink of a historic handover, and all roads point towards Zidane.

Zidane’s moment arrives

The long wait appears to be over. The French Football Federation has scheduled a press conference for Tuesday, led by FFF president Philippe Diallo, following an extraordinary meeting of the executive committee earlier that morning. No official confirmation yet, no signature paraded in front of the cameras, but the stage is set.

Diallo has already promised that an announcement on the new coach will arrive before the end of the month. All signs suggest Tuesday is the day that promise is cashed in, with Zidane poised to be introduced as Deschamps’ successor and the new face of Les Bleus.

For France, it would be more than a change of coach. It would be a symbolic shift: from the iron stability of Deschamps to the more fluid, attacking vision associated with Zidane’s time at Real Madrid. For Benzema, it would be something deeply personal.

The bond that shaped an era

Benzema and Zidane did not just share a dressing room dynamic; they built an empire together in Madrid. Across Zidane’s two spells in charge at Real (2016–18 and 2019–21), Benzema became one of his most trusted lieutenants, a forward who did far more than finish chances.

He scored 108 goals under Zidane, a total bettered only by Cristiano Ronaldo in that period. Yet the numbers only tell part of the story. Benzema often sacrificed his own spotlight, knitting together attacks and creating space for Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in the famed “BBC” frontline. Zidane understood him, trusted him, and handed him responsibility at the heart of some of the most devastating counter-attacking football of the modern era.

The reward was historic. Together they collected three consecutive Champions League titles in 2016, 2017 and 2018, two LaLiga crowns, a stack of UEFA and Spanish Super Cups, and multiple FIFA Club World Cup trophies. Zidane’s reign in Madrid was short by managerial standards, but blisteringly efficient. Benzema was central to that success.

So when the striker calls Zidane “the big brother,” it is not a throwaway line. It is a summary of years of shared pressure, tactical conversations, and nights when Real Madrid bent Europe to their will.

A door reopening?

Zidane’s expected arrival with Les Bleus inevitably sparks one question: what about Benzema?

At 38, many international careers have long since faded. Benzema’s form, though, refuses to cooperate with the usual timeline. Now at Al-Hilal, he continues to score with familiar regularity, hitting nine goals in 13 appearances this season. Before that, he produced 57 goals in 87 matches for Al-Ittihad, proof that his finishing touch and movement remain sharp.

On paper, a reunion between Zidane and Benzema in the national team shirt would be a compelling story. On the pitch, it would be a bold call. France’s attack has been reshaped since Benzema’s last major involvement, with a new generation pushing to the front.

Kylian Mbappé remains the undisputed star. Ousmane Dembélé offers width and chaos. Around them, younger talents like Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola have begun to stake their claims, adding fresh pace and unpredictability to the forward line. This is no longer a squad waiting for an experienced nine to rescue it; it is a group brimming with options.

Any potential Benzema comeback would rest entirely on Zidane’s vision. Does he see room for a veteran leader in a rapidly evolving attack? Does he want Benzema as a starter, a mentor, or not at all? Those decisions will define not only the player’s international epilogue but also the early tone of Zidane’s tenure.

A new chapter for Les Bleus

What is clear is that France stands on the cusp of a new tactical and emotional identity. Deschamps built a side that was ruthless, disciplined, and tournament-hardened. Zidane, if and when he steps onto that podium with Diallo, will inherit that platform and be asked to elevate it again.

Benzema has already nailed his colours to the mast. He wants Zidane. He believes in him. He knows what a Zidane-led dressing room feels like when it starts to roll.

Now the country waits to see if the man who conquered Europe with Real Madrid can do the same with Les Bleus — and whether there is one last chapter left for his “big brother” on the international stage.