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Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane has turned down an approach from Algeria to take over the national team as a replacement for Djamel Belmadi.
Djamel Belmadi have been sacked as Algeria’s manager following the team’s shocking group-stage exit in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Having won the 2019 edition under Belmadi, Algeria have been knocked out of the AFCON in the group stages in back-to-back tournaments for the first time in their history.
Several names have emerged as candidates to replace Belmadi, most notably Hervé Renard and Vahid Halilhodzic, but it looks like the Algerian Football Federation wanted to take a different approach and recruit Zinedine Zidane.
According to the French publication L’Équipe, Zidane was approached in recent hours by the Algerian Football Federation’s president Walid Sadi, but the iconic midfielder declined the proposal.
The report revealed that Zidane was flattered by the interest shown by the country of his parents, but refused the offer just as he recently turned down offers from Brazil and the United States.
Born and raised in Marseille, France, Zidane is of Algerian descent and has once spoken about his roots, saying: “I have an affinity with the Arabic world. I have it in my blood, via my parents. I’m very proud of being French, but also very proud of having these roots and this diversity.”