Zinedine Zidane takes charge of France for the first time on Friday against Turkey in the Nations League, pairing one of football's most inscrutable coaches with a squad often described as talented but hard to read. Despite winning three consecutive Champions Leagues with Real Madrid, an unmatched feat, and setting several records along the way, Zidane's actual footballing philosophy remains largely undefined, and his achievements are difficult to disentangle from Madrid's inherent dominance during that era.

Zidane's Madrid side lost just eight of his first 100 games, scored in a record 73 consecutive matches, and won a joint-record 16 successive La Liga games and a record 13 straight away fixtures, yet he collected only one league title during his trophy-laden first spell before returning for a second stint that yielded another. His Champions League wins, particularly in 2016 and 2018, were often scrappy rather than dominant, relying on fine margins such as penalties, opposition errors and injuries rather than clear tactical mastery, leaving observers still guessing at what, if anything, defines his coaching identity as he now takes on the France job.