Zidane feels immense emotion before first match in charge of France

PARIS, Sept 24 : Zinedine Zidane spoke of his "immense emotion" as he prepared to take charge of France for the first time in their Nations League opener away to Turkey on Friday.

The 54-year-old, who succeeded Didier Deschamps following his predecessor's 14-year reign, begins his tenure with an away fixture in Kocaeli, less than two months after his appointment.

"Maybe even more, actually," Zidane said when asked whether his emotions matched those he experienced winning his first France cap 32 years ago.

"It was a long time ago, and today I feel an immense emotion at being here in charge of this France team," he told a press conference.

Zidane's appointment has generated considerable excitement in France, where his first week in charge dominated media coverage, and in Turkey, where one journalist even asked him for an autograph during the press conference.

The former Real Madrid manager, however, sought to keep the attention on his squad.

"It's the next step after Didier's 14 years, it's something new so it's completely normal. But the main protagonists are the players," he said.

"I think you just have to accept the way things are done; I'm not looking for that and I'm not here for that. I'm going to try to do the job with my players, to make sure we can win matches – that's what interests me."

Midfielder Adrien Rabiot said Zidane tried to "step back as much as possible to let the players express themselves".

"He is with us the way he is on the outside," Rabiot added.

"We're fully aware of how important he's been for French football. His aura means he takes up a lot of space and people expect a lot from him."

Rabiot, named as one of the team's captains along with Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Jules Kounde, noted that "quite