Reports from Italian and French media on Monday revealed that French coach Zinedine Zidane has been shortlisted by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation as a potential candidate to replace Roberto Mancini, whose departure from the team is considered imminent.
The Saudi national team faces significant challenges in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, having dropped seven points in their first four matches in Group C. This has placed them second, tied with Australia and Bahrain, but five points behind group leaders Japan.
According to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Mancini is not expected to be in charge for the team’s next qualification match, as a decision has already been made to terminate his contract, which was initially set to run until 2027. The same sources indicated that Zinedine Zidane, former Real Madrid coach, tops a shortlist of globally renowned coaches being considered for the role. However, the cost of terminating Mancini’s contract could be significant, given his annual salary of $24 million.
The newspaper added that Zidane, a Ballon d’Or winner in 1998 and a highly successful player and coach at Real Madrid, might not pass up the opportunity to return to coaching. Zidane has previously declined several offers, including renewing his contract with Real Madrid and opportunities from the Algerian national team, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester United. However, a potentially lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia could be the right fit for him.