Zinedine Zidane Rolls Back the Years With Effortless Touchline Control

Zinedine Zidane showed that his first touch remains firmly intact after effortlessly controlling a clearance during France’s 4-1 Nations League victory over Belgium.

The moment arrived deep into stoppage time at the Stade de France, with Belgium goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt sending a long clearance towards the French technical area.

Zidane calmly watched the ball drop before using the back of his foot to remove its momentum and leave it sitting beside him on the touchline.

The control prompted an immediate cheer from the crowd, while members of the France coaching staff could be seen smiling behind their manager.

It was not Zidane’s only technical contribution of the evening. He had controlled another ball near his dugout earlier in the match, but his late touch quickly became the moment shared widely across social media.

France had fallen behind before scoring four times during a dominant second-half comeback, securing Zidane’s first home victory since taking charge of the national team.

The result completed an unbeaten opening international window for Zidane, with France recording three wins and one draw from his first four matches in charge.