Zinedine Zidane made a notable appearance at the clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Lens in the Champions Trophy. France's new head coach was keen to take his place in the stands at the Bollaert-Delelis stadium for Sunday evening's encounter.
According to French website "Foot Mercato", Zidane attended to follow the match up close. It marked one of his first steps in monitoring the leading names of French football since taking charge of the national team, with Les Bleus preparing for a new phase under his leadership.
The match carries particular importance for Paris Saint-Germain. Fresh from lifting the UEFA Super Cup before the season began, they are chasing more silverware and want to add the Champions Trophy to their cabinet, which would take them to a fifteenth title across their appearances in the tournament.
Lens, for their part, go into the encounter aiming to snatch the trophy from the reigning UEFA Champions League holders. Zidane's presence adds extra intrigue, given his status as one of the most prominent icons of French football and the man about to lead the national team through the coming phase.
Having Zidane in the stands gives the Paris and Lens clash a significance beyond the fight for the title. The game offers the new coach a chance to run the rule over several players in contention for a France call-up and to gauge their form at the start of the season.
His appearance comes some time after he took charge of Les Bleus. In practical terms, he is now beginning to assess his potential options, and the shape of his selections should become clearer over the coming fixtures.