Zidane ends his reservations and speaks for the first time. “I liked this trio.”

France coach-to-be Zinedine Zidane has revealed his admiration for the new generation of football stars led by Lamin Yamal, Michael Olissi and Kylian Mbappe, stressing that they “play like we played next door” and that he “enjoyed” watching them at the 2026 World Cup.

According to Zidane, during an informal chat with David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic earlier this July at a promotional event for video game brand EA Sports to discuss the 2026 World Cup and the next generation of players, the 1998 Ballon d’Or winner said: that’s what we want to see on the pitch.”

Zidane, who rarely speaks in public, added: “It was great to watch them. We can talk about Yamal, Olisi and Mbappe. Everything they give us on the pitch… They all inspire us when we watch the matches. This is what we want to see. I really liked it.”

Zidane has been watching the 2026 World Cup with keen interest as he awaits his appointment as France coach, and he was in the stands at MetLife Stadium to watch Spain’s final win over Argentina on Sunday before Lamin Yamal lifted the trophy.

The three legends, Zidane, Beckham and Ibrahimovic, unanimously agreed that the new generation, represented by Lamine Yamal, has exceptional talent. Ibrahimovic, who worked as a sports analyst for Fox Sports this summer, said: “For me, Lamine Yamal is a special player. He just turned 19, but when he was 16 or 17, his performance was amazing. He had already won the European Championship and two Spanish league titles.”

For his part, David Beckham quoted his compatriot Jude Bellingham, describing him as a “star” along with Kylian Mbappe, adding: “We’ve always seen Killian. We do not associate him with the new generation, but he is a part of it. He is still young and has a long history on the field.”

Following the departure of Didier Deschamps after last Saturday’s dramatic 6-4 defeat against England in Miami for third place, Zinedine Zidane will soon take over as Roosters coach as the French Football Federation officially announces his appointment as France’s technical director by the end of July.