Following the victory of France against Belgium by 1-0 in the second round of the Nations League A, France coach Zinedine Zidane’s celebration went viral.
When Michael Olise scored the dramatic late goal for France, Zidane was so exhilarated that he sprinted down the touchline, screaming and then kicked the ball placed on a cone out of his path, while being in black suit. The long reach of his legs and the wild reaction to Olise’s goal gained a massive reception from football fans.
In a goalless tough match between the Les Bleus and Belgium, in the 88th minute, Michael Olise received the ball deep inside his own half, sprinted down the right flank, cut inside, and drove a fierce shot into the bottom left corner.
The single-handed effort from Olise sparked a wild reaction from their coach, who was fiercely screaming and shooting a loose ball out of the way. Football fans are saying, “The good old Zizou is back”.
In a post-match press conference, Zidane said he did what he felt at that moment, with a smile.
“I went along with the play and I wanted to be part of it,
I sensed he was off on a dribble and he made an exceptional play, so I wanted to follow him. And then I saw the ball there, and I told myself I had to shoot it. It might be a little bit ridiculous, but it doesn’t matter.”
He also praised Olise for his timely action and said that he believed in him during the time period of scoring the goal.
“ He’s a pure talent. I love players like him. When he’s on the pitch, he wants to entertain. He feels football. I’m happy to be alongside him and watch him play this way.”
Zidane on Olise after the game to TF1.
New memes featuring Zidane’s silhouette from the video are circulating across social media. Fans have jokingly compared the kicking stance to the Bundesliga logo, the Nike Jordan logo, etc.
Another fan has also posted an AI-generated image of the French football team’s logo with Zidane’s kicking stance in focus.
Every fan on the football side of social media enjoyed the reaction of the head coach. Fans have been flooding the comment section, saying they missed the old Zizou-style celebration and are happy to see the Monsieur in joy as a coach after 5 years.
After Kylian Mbappè left following the match with Türkiye due to his left knee injury, the audience was excited to see who all Zidane would put in to net the ball.
Olise, Rayan Cherki and Ousmane Dembélé all started from the bench during the match, and youngsters like Maghnes Akliouche and Esteban Lepaul earned spots in the starting XI.
Football media also praised Zidane for his timely player changes. He made nine changes to his lineup, handing debuts to Jérémy Jacquet, Andy Diouf, and Lucas Da Cunha. And sent Rayan Cherki and Olise in the 77th minute and in the 88th minute; you see Olise scoring the goal with an assist from Cherki.
“I wasn’t afraid at all of what might happen. And that’s how it was planned from the start anyway. I told myself that I had 23 players at my disposal, and I was going to use them all eventually.”
Michael Olise’s performance was also praised widely. He was acclaimed for his timely response, agility and solo effort to secure a goal, though he started in the 77th minute of the game.
Zidane signed as the France national team’s coach on 28 July 2026. He said he had turned down every offer since leaving Real Madrid in 2021 because he was waiting to take on the role of coaching the French national team. The 54-year-old former Ballon d’Or winner will coach the team throughout the 2030 World Cup.
Zidane’s debut game as France’s coach was in the league phase of the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League, resulting in a 1-0 win against Turkey, with a Kylian Mbappé goal from a Michael Olise assist.
At present, France is leading in Group A1 of the Nations League and will be facing Italy on October 2nd at their home ground.
