BORDEAUX, France (AP) - Bordeaux tried and failed to hire former France great Zinedine Zidane as its coach for next season, despite prolonged discussions, the club’s president Jean-Louis Triaud said Wednesday.
Zidane, who played for the club from 1992-96, was widely touted in the French media to replace Francis Gillot next season but his attachment to Real Madrid, where two of his sons have come through the team’s youth ranks, proved a crucial factor in turning down a move.
Zidane, whose spectacular volley won Madrid’s last Champions League title in 2002, is currently an assistant to Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.
“I won’t deny that there were contacts, many. Unfortunately we couldn’t put everything into place to recruit Zidane. I can confirm that he won’t become Bordeaux’s coach,” Triaud told RTL radio. “It’s a number of things, the conditions weren’t right, that’s all. When it’s not going to happen, it’s meant to be. We have to turn the page and move on.”
Zidane, who scored twice when France won the 1998 World Cup, scored 38 goals in 155 league games with Madrid from 2001-06.
“You can’t ignore, after all, that two of his sons are in Real Madrid’s youth team academy, that his family is very settled in Madrid, where they have lived for nearly 11 years,” Triaud said. “It’s a complex situation.”
Willy Sagnol, Zidane’s former teammate when France reached the 2006 World Cup final, is reportedly now the favorite to get the job. He is currently coaching France’s under-21 team.
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