Fabien Barthez joins Zidane’s new France coaching setup

World Cup winners Fabien Barthez will join the staff of newly appointed France head coach Zinedine Zidane, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced on Thursday. At 55 years old, Barthez will be in charge of the national team's goalkeepers. The experienced goalkeeper, who played alongside Zidane during France's 1998 World Cup triumph, previously served as a consultant for the French team under coaches Raymond Domenech and Laurent Blanc.

Barthez briefly worked as part of Toulouse's coaching staff from 2020 to 2021. The FFF also revealed several other additions to the France coaching team, including assistant coaches David Bettoni and Hamidou Msaidie, as well as Strategy and Performance Advisor Gregory Dupont, all of whom have worked closely with Zidane during his time at Real Madrid.

Zidane, 54, was appointed on July 28 to replace former teammate Didier Deschamps, who led France to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. Zidane will oversee his first France training camp in September, with the team's first match under his guidance set for September 25 when they face Turkey in a Nations League game.