The UEFA Nations League is about to begin, and France are entering a fascinating new era with one of the greatest players in football history taking charge. Zinedine Zidane is officially beginning his tenure as France manager, with his first competitive challenge coming in the Nations League. And while there are plenty of questions surrounding how Zidane will set up his team, perhaps the most intriguing of them all is how he plans to use Kylian Mbappe.
Because if there is one thing that should genuinely frighten every team preparing to face France, it is the possibility that Zidane could unlock another level from Mbappe.
The French superstar has already been nothing short of phenomenal for his country. His international career is arguably one of the greatest individual runs in modern football, and his record-breaking 2026 World Cup campaign only strengthened that argument. Mbappe finished the tournament with 10 goals, won his second consecutive Golden Boot and moved to the top of the all-time World Cup scoring charts with 22 goals. He also became France's all-time leading goalscorer during the tournament.
And yet, somehow, there is still a feeling that the best version of Mbappe may be yet to come.
The reason?
Zinedine Zidane.
Mbappe Has Already Reached Another Level With France
It almost feels unfair to suggest that Mbappe can still improve significantly at the international level.
He has already won the World Cup with France, scored in a World Cup final as a teenager, scored a hat-trick in another World Cup final, become France's all-time leading goalscorer and established himself as the most prolific scorer in World Cup history.
At the 2026 World Cup alone, Mbappe scored 10 goals in eight matches and became the first player to win the Golden Boot at two consecutive World Cups. His career World Cup tally now stands at 22 goals in 22 appearances.
His record in the knockout stages is even more frightening. Mbappe finished the 2026 tournament with 14 World Cup knockout goals, the most ever recorded by a player in the competition.
So what could Zidane possibly add?
The answer might lie in something football fans have already seen before.
And that brings us to Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Most Dangerous Version of Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo has enjoyed an extraordinary career at the very highest level.
From Manchester United to Real Madrid, Juventus and beyond, there have been numerous versions of Ronaldo that terrified defenders. There was the explosive winger at Manchester United, the devastating goalscorer who emerged at Real Madrid, the incredibly efficient forward at Juventus and the relentless goalscorer who continued producing for club and country long after his physical peak.
But ask football fans which version of Ronaldo was the most dangerous, and there is usually one answer.
The noodle-haired Ronaldo of Real Madrid.
This was the Ronaldo who helped Real Madrid dominate Europe and win three Champions League titles in four calendar years, the historic consecutive triumphs between 2016 and 2018.
And who was the manager during that extraordinary period?
Zinedine Zidane.
That connection is impossible to ignore when considering what could happen with Mbappe.
Zidane Built Real Madrid Around Ronaldo
Zidane's Real Madrid was filled with world-class talent.
Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Karim Benzema, Casemiro, Isco and others formed one of the greatest squads football has ever seen.
Yet Ronaldo remained the central attacking weapon.
Zidane understood something incredibly important: having a superstar is one thing; creating the conditions for that superstar to decide the biggest matches is another.
Ronaldo was not simply another member of that spectacular Real Madrid side. Zidane constructed the team's attacking structure in a way that maximised Ronaldo's strengths.
The Portuguese forward was given the freedom to conserve energy, occupy the most dangerous areas and arrive at the moments where his finishing could make the difference.
And Zidane was not afraid to make decisions specifically with Ronaldo's effectiveness in mind.
Even during Champions League matches, substitutions and tactical adjustments could revolve around creating the conditions for Ronaldo to remain the decisive figure. Real Madrid were not necessarily trying to make Ronaldo touch the ball constantly.
They were trying to make sure he touched it in the right places.
The results were extraordinary.
The Most Important Thing Zidane Did For Ronaldo
However, perhaps the most fascinating part of Zidane's relationship with Ronaldo was not tactical at all.
It was physical management.
Zidane managed to convince Ronaldo to rest.
That might sound insignificant now, but at the time it was a remarkable development.
Ronaldo was one of the most competitive players in football history. Yet during Zidane's final season at Real Madrid, the manager deliberately reduced his workload, particularly in domestic matches, in order to preserve him for the biggest games.
By April 2018, Ronaldo had already been rested for 11 matches that season, more than during his previous seven seasons combined. The entire idea was simple: keep Ronaldo fresh for the moments when Real Madrid needed him most.
And it worked.
Ronaldo became increasingly devastating when the Champions League entered its decisive stages.
This is arguably one of Zidane's greatest achievements as a manager.
He didn't just tell Ronaldo how to play.
He convinced Ronaldo that not playing could actually make him more dangerous.
That required an extraordinary level of trust.
Ronaldo's Respect For Zidane Says Everything
This is where the Mbappe comparison becomes particularly interesting.
Ronaldo has always wanted to play.
Throughout his career, he has shown an extraordinary desire to remain on the pitch, whether representing Real Madrid, Juventus, Manchester United, Al Nassr or Portugal. His reactions to substitutions and decisions to leave him out have occasionally demonstrated just how intensely he wants to compete.
Yet Zidane was able to establish an unusual relationship with him.
Ronaldo accepted being rested.
There was no obvious frustration when Zidane deliberately protected him for bigger matches. Instead, Ronaldo trusted the manager's judgement.
That relationship was built on Zidane's own aura.
Remember, Zidane wasn't some distant coach attempting to manage a superstar. He had been one of football's greatest players himself. He understood the demands of elite football, the physical cost of constant competition and, perhaps most importantly, what it takes for a superstar to remain decisive when the biggest games arrive.
He knew Ronaldo.
And Ronaldo trusted him.
The result was arguably the most devastating version of Cristiano Ronaldo the world ever saw.
Now Zidane Gets Mbappe
This is where France becomes genuinely frightening.
Mbappe is not Ronaldo.
Their games are different, their personalities are different and their careers are at different stages.
But Mbappe is entering the Zidane era with something Ronaldo already had when Zidane took over at Real Madrid: extraordinary individual quality.
And unlike Ronaldo, Mbappe is now entering this partnership while still only 27.
He is already France's leading goalscorer and the all-time leading scorer at the World Cup. He has 22 World Cup goals, 14 of them in knockout matches, and has won two consecutive Golden Boots.
Now imagine Zidane building an entire international system around maximising those qualities.
Imagine Mbappe being given the freedom to conserve energy during certain periods, receive the ball in the areas where he is most dangerous and attack tired defenders late in games.
Imagine Zidane using France's extraordinary depth to ensure Mbappe reaches the decisive stages of tournaments as fresh as possible.
And imagine what happens if Zidane manages to establish the same level of trust with Mbappe that he once had with Ronaldo.
Mbappe himself has already made clear how excited he is about working with Zidane, describing the experience as being "like a movie" and acknowledging the significance of Zidane's influence on French football. Zidane has also confirmed that Mbappe will remain France's captain.
That relationship could become incredibly important.
Could Zidane Take Mbappe To Another Level?
Of course, there is no guarantee.
Zidane's success with Real Madrid came with an extraordinary collection of players, and international football presents completely different tactical and logistical challenges. France also have to build around a squad containing several elite attacking and midfield options rather than simply handing everything to one player.
But the ingredients are there.
Mbappe is already producing numbers that place him among the greatest international players football has ever seen.
Zidane has already demonstrated that he understands how to manage an all-time great goalscorer.
And perhaps most importantly, Zidane has already shown that he knows something many managers struggle to understand: superstars don't necessarily need more football. Sometimes they need better football.
That was the secret behind the most devastating version of Ronaldo.
If Zidane can reproduce even part of that formula with Mbappe, France could have something terrifying on their hands.
The Nations League will provide the first glimpse.
And while it may be a mammoth task, nobody should be surprised if Zidane takes Mbappe to a level that even now feels impossible.
Because if the Ronaldo flashback has taught football anything, it is this:
When Zidane finds the right way to manage a generational superstar, the results can be historic.
And France may be about to discover just how dangerous that can be.