Why has Zidane turned down the PSG job for a second time?
The Real Madrid legend rejected a new offer from Paris Saint-Germain to take over the reins Christophe Galtier. He has remained out of coaching since leaving the Madrid job.
PSG, or rather Qatar, is still determined to bring Zinedine Zidane in as coach. In October 2021, the leaders in Doha tried to persuade him to join halfway through the season so that Mauricio Pochettino, who at that time was very close to Manchester United, could leave the French capital. The response from the Marseillais was resounding: his dream was to lead the France after the World Cup in Qatar.
Just a few months before the World Cup, in May 2022, Qatar were close to realizing their dream. PSG accelerated negotiations to sign Zidane to the point where some section of the French media were reporting that a deal had been closed. However, from the rumors to the agreement there was a stark distance. Zizou once again declined the offer and the club opted to sign Christophe Galtier weeks after having made Luis Campos the new sports advisor.
Reported second attempt
But PSG haven’t given up on Zidane and some sources claim that their plan to sign him was reactivated several weeks ago. According to Le Parisien, PSG contacted the former Real Madrid manager with a view to becoming Galtier’s successor. They claim the answer was identical: definitely not. The French football legend is not, for the moment, interested in occupying the bench of the new Ligue 1 champions and his dream, although it was cut short in January, continues to be that of managing Les Bleus.
Other sources have stated that there has been no contact between Zizou and PSG or any formal offer presented. They claim that “informal approaches by members of the Emir of Qatar’s family remained regular with Zidane” up until the World Cup.
It’s unlikely that we will see Zidane take up the PSG coaching post - at least for the next few years. Apart from his dream of coaching France, Zidane has also been linked to the Juventus job. For now, Massimiliano Allegri has been confirmed to continue next season, but a return to Turin is another of the options that Zizou is considering for the future.
The France job will also have to wait. In January, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced that Didier Deschamps had agreed a contract extension to keep him at the helm until 31 December 2026.
In Paris, meanwhile, they have sought alternatives. Julian Nagelsmann is the favorite to succeed Galtier, but a deal is nowhere near happening. Qatar-backed Luis Enrique and Xabi Alonso are part of a wide range of candidates to take over at PSG from July.