Captain Zidane to lead France

Real Madrid midfielder Zinedine Zidane will captain France in the Euro 2004 qualifiers against Malta and Israel, coach Jacques Santini announced on Thursday.

Zidane will replace Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly who has been left out of the team because of injuries and poor form.

The hero of the 1998 World Cup final will be in charge for Saturday's home match against the Maltese in Lens, northern France, and the away tie against Israel which has been rescheduled for Palermo, Sicily next Wednesday.

The softly-spoken Zidane exuded a natural authority, Santini said which commanded the respect of his teammates and dictated they way they played.

"I am confident he will be able to meet his responsibilities both on and off the field," Santini said.

Zidane, for whom Real paid a world record 72 million euros last year, gets the nod ahead of Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira.