The president of the French Football Federation admitted Tuesday that Zinedine Zidane is a contender to one day manage France, although he will not be the successor to the recently-departed Laurent Blanc.

Zidane holds legendary status in France as a member of the national teams that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 and is currently working as sporting director at Real Madrid.

The 40-year-old is also studying a diploma in sports management in Limoges and FFF supremo Noel Le Graet believes the former Juventus and Real Madrid playmaker has what it takes to become a future coach of Les Bleus.

“It's great that Zinedine Zidane has expressed a desire to work closely with the French national team in future and, if it is not possible right now, he dreams of coaching the national team in 10 years time,” said Le Graet.

“He has also said that he is ready to study for his coaching badges at (France's National Technical Centre) Clairefontaine,” added Le Graet.

In the meantime, Blanc's decision not to sign a new contract last weekend has left the FFF with a vacancy to fill ahead of the start of the qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Didier Deschamps, a free agent after leaving Marseille, is the French Federation's first choice for the job.