A new era of continuity. This is not a political slogan, but the thinking behind the decision by the French Football Federation (FFF) to appoint Laurent Bonadei as coach of the French women’s team until August 2027. The man from the Var region in southern France will be kicking off his mandate on Friday, October 25 in Sochaux at 9:10 pm with a friendly match against Jamaica, followed by another in Geneva on Tuesday, October 29 against Switzerland.
Convalescent following another premature end to the Olympic Games, at the quarter-final stage, Les Bleues are handing over the reins from Hervé Renard to the man who was his assistant for 17 months. At the beginning of July, in an interview with Le Monde, Renard had already hinted at the name of his ideal replacement, without naming him. “If you ask my opinion, one of my assistants would be the best thing.”
Three months later, he confirmed that his “loyal and meticulous” successor, whom he had met in Vallauris (department of Alpes-Maritimes) in the early 1990s, had his “200% approval.” FFF president Philippe Diallo has also praised the new coach’s perfect profile “to ensure the gradual generational change, marked by the departure of certain icons such as Amandine Henry.” The latter has just announced her international retirement at the age of 35 and with over 100 caps to her name. “He has the qualities of a coach. He’s not a hit man but a construction man,” the French football boss said.
Bonadei spent 16 years as a coach with Nancy, Nice and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), where he worked with an exceptional generation of players including Adrien Rabiot, Mike Maignan and Kingsley Coman. From 2019 to 2023, he was Renard’s assistant in Saudi Arabia, an experience marked by a prestigious success in the first round of the 2022 World Cup against future world champions Argentina.
At 54, the technician is enjoying his first experience as a head coach at the highest level – even though he had briefly deputized for the suspended Renard at the end of May, during an important victory over England in the Euro 2025 qualifying phase. “I’m middle-aged, but I have the advantage of starting out as No. 1 fresh, full of desire and not worn out,” he told Le Monde. “It’s a stage in my career that I’ve been preparing for, that I’ve been hoping for, and it’s come to fruition.”
A coach who dares to show his emotions
The man who took his first coaching qualifications at 25, pursuing a parallel career as a player in the second and third divisions, only needed 17 months in women’s football to catch the eye. According to our information, he was considered for the benches of the Olympique Lyonnais and PSG women’s teams in the summer of 2024, after praise from numerous French internationals from these two league powerhouses. This feedback influenced the FFF’s decision, despite the fact that the pool of coaches willing to commit to women’s football is still small.
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