Just a few weeks after taking the helm as coach of the French national team, Zinedine Zidane has brought an old acquaintance onto his staff. World Cup champion Fabien Barthez will serve as goalkeeping coach.
France’s new national team coach, Zinedine Zidane, has found a goalkeeping coach for his staff. Fabien Barthez, an old acquaintance, will take on the role with Les Bleus. The French Football Federation (FFF) announced this on Thursday. The former goalkeeper won the 1998 World Cup on home soil alongside Zidane, as well as the 2000 European Championship. The longtime Marseille and Monaco goalkeeper is considered an icon in French soccer.
Participation in the legendary Le Mans race
Barthez, meanwhile, has had an unusual career path: After the former Manchester United goalkeeper retired from active play in 2007, he focused for many years on another passion—motorsports. In 2013, Barthez celebrated his greatest success in his second career as a race car driver, winning the French GT Championship. A year later, he competed for the first time in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing 29th overall, before placing 12th in 2016 and competing again in 2017. In 2016, Barthez even founded his own racing team together with former Formula 1 driver Olivier Panis.
But Barthez also remained active in soccer after his playing career. In 2020, he became involved in goalkeeper training at his youth club, FC Toulouse, and had previously worked as an advisor under national team coaches Raymond Domenech and Laurent Blanc. In addition to Barthez, assistant coaches David Bettoni and Hamidou Msaidie are also joining the staff; Zidane previously worked with them at Real Madrid.
Debut in Late September
During his playing career, Barthez made 87 international appearances, was named World Goalkeeper of the Year in 2000, and played for Olympique Marseille—in addition to his stints at AS Monaco and Manchester United—and, toward the end of his career, for FC Nantes; he won the Champions League with OM in 1993. Barthez will make his debut as France’s goalkeeper coach on September 25, when Les Bleus face Turkey in their Nations League opener.
