Recently appointed head coach of FC Sion (penultimate of the Super League, the Swiss first division), David Bettoni (51) is not the best known French coach.
As soon as we associate him with the success of Zinedine Zidane at the head of Real Madrid, the faithful assistant of the legend of the Blues, sees his letters of nobility return to him.
On the eve of his first experience as the head coach of a professional club, we have five things to discover about David Bettoni.
His meeting with Zinedine Zidane
In the early 90s, Zinédine Zidane and David Bettoni were residents of the AS Cannes training center, one of the best in France.
The two young players are exactly eight months apart (Bettoni is the eldest) and live far from their families (Saint-Priest for one, Marseille for the other).
Less easy technically than his friend, David Bettoni has trouble keeping up with the intensity of training.
He was then prescribed foot baths in order to recover better.
The only room in the center with a bidet is obviously that of Zinédine Zidane, already the local star.
The two then spend long hours talking, their feet in the water.
The beginning of their friendship therefore starts from there, as the future number 10 of the Blues tells in his biography
Zidane, from Yazid to Zizou
.
Read alsoHow Zinedine Zidane was tempted by the adventure in Formula 1 with Alpine
Zizou's decisive appeal to the President of Sion
Christian Constantin, president of FC Sion, received a call from Zinedine Zidane last weekend before hiring David Bettoni, advances the Swiss media
Le Matin
.
A necessarily dithyrambic phone call about his lifelong assistant:
“He told me how much David had been very loyal to him, that he had never tried to find fault with him in his mission.
Without him, I would never have succeeded in doing what I did at Real during all these years ”
says the whimsical president of the Swiss club who took the opportunity to throw a spade at the now ex-president of the FFF.
“
It made me very happy to be able to talk about football with him (Zidane) for an hour and a quarter,
adds Constantin.
He had a much better reception with me
than with Le Graët!
»
Read also“It can go very quickly”: Zidane available and ready to find a position on the bench
A life linked to AS Cannes
At the twilight of a completed career where she had begun, David Bettoni embarked on training.
The experience therefore began in his lifelong club: AS Cannes.
In the early 2000s, he quickly took the reins of the U13 and then U14 teams before rising in rank and taking care of the national U19s of the Dragons, barely 35 years old.
He passed his diplomas at the INF Clairefontaine and later helped Zinédine Zidane to obtain his.
The duo they will form for years is reminiscent of those formed by two other former 98 world champions: Laurent Blanc and Didier Deschamps, respectively with Jean-Louis Gasset and Guy Stéphan.
The unfortunate king of relegation
In lack of playing time at AS Cannes, when Zinédine Zidane reveals himself to everyone, David Bettoni must look at the lower level to bounce back.
He went on two loans in Division 2, the first to Istres (in 1993-1994) and the second to Alès (the following season).
Each time, his team finished last and was therefore relegated to National.
By following his friend transferred to Italy (to Juventus), he discovered the third and fourth transalpine division.
Again, it is not a great success since the relegations are linked.
In total, the native of Saint-Priest will have known six in his career.
Before FC Sion, French clubs had already contacted him
Since the duo left Real Madrid in the summer of 2021, the pair haven't looked back.
If Zinédine Zidane has been announced everywhere, at PSG, Manchester United, Juventus or even recently at the head of Seleçao, David Bettoni has also been asked.
Two French clubs have come forward in particular.
The Girondins de Bordeaux first, in February 2022 to take over from Vladimir Petkovic, recently sacked.
The leaders finally set their sights on David Guion.
More recently, it was LOSC who seemed to hold the rope but it was Paulo Fonseca who was chosen.
Today, it is FC Sion who benefits.
