Karim Benzema on Zidane's Potential France Appointment

Karim Benzema does not hesitate. Asked about Zinedine Zidane potentially taking over France, he leans straight into it.

“He’s a legend, he’s the big brother,” he tells Konbini in their “In or Out” segment, the smile almost audible.

On the horizon, a shift: Didier Deschamps’ long reign winding down after a flat World Cup 2026 semifinal exit, and Zidane finally moving from looming presence to likely head coach.

“Am I happy about him becoming the manager of Les Bleus? I don't know for sure if it’s him, but if it is him, yes, I am seriously happy.”

That line hangs in the air. Benzema knows exactly what Zidane represents to French football, and even more to him personally. Together at Real Madrid, they built an era. At the Santiago Bernabeu, their relationship was not just coach and striker; it was architect and trusted lieutenant, forged in Champions League knockout nights and title races where a single chance, a single movement, could tilt history.

Under Zidane, across two spells in Madrid (2016–18 and 2019–21), Benzema became one of the pillars of that machine. He scored 108 goals in that period, a number only Cristiano Ronaldo could top in a Zidane side. Often he drifted into the shadows to feed Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in the famed “BBC” trio, but inside the dressing room and on the touchline, Zidane knew exactly how vital his No. 9 was. Their understanding, almost telepathic at times, underpinned some of the most ruthless attacking displays of that generation.

And the trophies followed in waves. Three straight Champions League titles in 2016, 2017 and 2018, a run that redrew the borders of what dominance in Europe looks like. Two LaLiga crowns. UEFA Super Cups, Spanish Super Cups, FIFA Club World Cups. Zidane’s Madrid did not just win; they normalised the extraordinary. Benzema, always there, always involved, walked off with a medal haul that will sit near the top of any all-time striker’s résumé.

Now, France stands on the verge of handing Zidane the keys to another powerhouse.

The French Football Federation has called a press conference for Tuesday. FFF president Philippe Diallo will front the media after an extraordinary meeting of the federation’s executive committee earlier that morning. Officially, nothing is signed off in public yet. Unofficially, everyone knows what this is. Diallo has already promised an announcement before the end of the month; this date looks very much like the moment that promise turns into a handshake and a photo on the podium.

Barring a late twist, Zidane will walk out as Didier Deschamps’ successor, taking command of a squad that has lived in the latter stages of major tournaments for a decade but left the 2026 World Cup with a sense of unfinished business.

What About Benzema?

His arrival instantly throws one question into sharp focus: what about Benzema?

At 38, many forwards have long since slipped into nostalgia and testimonial tours. Benzema has chosen a different route. At Al-Hilal, he continues to treat the penalty area as his natural habitat, with nine goals in 13 appearances this season. Before that, at Al-Ittihad, he rattled in 57 goals in 87 games, numbers that show the instincts have not dulled, the timing has not deserted him.

A Zidane-led France, with a manager who trusts him and understands his game better than almost anyone, will inevitably ignite talk of a comeback. The romance writes itself: the old maestro returning for one last act under the coach who helped unlock his peak.

Yet this is no longer the France attack Benzema left behind. The frontline has shifted, modernised, accelerated. Kylian Mbappé is now the undisputed face of the team, Ousmane Dembélé brings chaos and width, and a new generation is pushing hard. Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola represent that fresh wave, younger legs and new ideas competing for places in a squad that has been deliberately refreshed.

Any return would sit squarely in Zidane’s hands. His vision, his tactical blueprint, his willingness to blend the experience of a 38-year-old Benzema with the explosive talent already in place. Does he see room for a veteran finisher who still scores, or does he draw a clean line and build entirely around the next cycle?

For now, Benzema is content to speak as a disciple, not a candidate. Zidane, “the big brother,” is on the brink of taking Les Bleus into a new era. Whether that story includes one final chapter for his long-time No. 9 is the kind of decision that can reshape a dressing room and, perhaps, the arc of France’s next tournament run.