Zidane says fear has no place as he prepares for France home debut against Italy

Zidane embraces an emotional return to the Stade de France

Zinedine Zidane says he is looking forward to leading France at the Stade de France for the first time, with Italy set to visit in the Nations League on Friday. The match will be a repeat of the 2006 World Cup final, a game remembered in part for Zidane’s dismissal after he headbutted Marco Materazzi.

“It is very emotional being back here, and will be even more so when the stands are packed with fans,” Zidane said at a press conference. He insisted nerves would not define the occasion: “Fear doesn’t exist, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. I’ve never thought about failure in my career. On the contrary, I see only opportunities.”

France have opened their Nations League campaign with consecutive 1-0 victories. Kylian Mbappe helped secure the first against Turkiye, before Michael Olise scored a late winner against Belgium. Against Belgium, France completed 92.8% of their passes in the opposition half, a rate the report described as their best in a match in the past 20 years.

A reunion with a difficult piece of history

The teams also met in the 2024-25 Nations League group stage, when the away side won 3-1 in both fixtures. Zidane’s own history with Italy stretches back to the 2006 World Cup final, when France lost on penalties after he was sent off following his headbutt on Materazzi.

“The images are being replayed everywhere on a loop, I’ve seen them,” Zidane said. He added that he had not spoken to Materazzi since the final and remained unhappy with his action, while describing it as part of his career. “Fortunately, that is not all that I did in my career,” he said. “There are positive and enjoyable moments, and I prefer to remember those.”

Zidane said he believes in his squad and wants to mark his home debut with a significant result: “I’m ready to make the dream come true, and I’m going to give it my all.”