French President Macron meddles in football again, wants Zidane at PSG

French president Emmanuel Macron appears to be making a habit of getting involved in football affairs apart from his all-important day job in politics. In his latest comments, Macron has admitted that he wants former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane to take over as Paris Saint-Germain coach.

Zidane took a sabbatical from coaching duties at the end of the 2020-21 season after his second spell with the Spanish giants. The Frenchman is not only a well-respected and highly successful manager, he is also a legendary player.

After once again failing to win the UEFA Champions League title this season, PSG are believed to be on the brink of sacking their current manager Mauricio Pochettino. Zidane's name has been linked with the club, especially owing to the fact that he won three consecutive Champions League crowns as Real Madrid manager.

"No, I haven't spoken [to Zidane], but I have great admiration for him, as a player and coach," Macron said, in an interview with RMC Sport quoted by Marca. "He won three Champions League titles with Real Madrid, which is something we want for our clubs. I want him to come back to promote France," he said.

The president then claimed that it is part of his job to look after Ligue 1 and other means of promoting the country. "I hope, for the impact on the French league and for France, that [Zidane] comes back and coaches a big French club, it would be great."

He then pointed out that French citizens who enjoy success on the international stage can return to the country to make meaningful contributions. Zidane for example, achieved most of his success on Spanish soil.

"My role is to say that France is a great nation for sport and football, that there are great people who love this sport. It is important for us that the best players we have trained, who have sometimes shone at international level, can come back."

It is unclear if the said job is even available, with Pochettino still under contract with PSG until 2023. However, apart from Zidane, Nice manager Christophe Galtier is also being linked with the PSG post. For his part, Zidane is believed to be eyeing the managerial role for the national team side. He is reportedly hoping to take over after Didier Deschamps ends his reign after the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Before making comments about Zidane, Macron admitted that he spoke to PSG striker Kylian Mbappe to advise him to stay with PSG at the time when he was being linked with a move to join Real Madrid. Mbappe has since signed a contract extension with the Ligue 1 champions.