For more than a decade, the arrival of France's finest footballers at Clairefontaine was about more than football.

Every international break brought a familiar spectacle. The cars would arrive, the cameras would wait and the players would step out dressed in everything from luxury suits to bold streetwear. For a few minutes, the entrance to France's national training centre became a football catwalk.

Now, Zinedine Zidane has decided that the show must change.

The new France head coach has ended the traditional media gathering around the players' arrivals at Clairefontaine. Instead of journalists and photographers freely documenting the players as they arrive, images will be produced and distributed by the French Football Federation.

But Zidane insists this is not an attempt to control what his players wear.

"Players are free to dress as they want," is essentially the message from the new coach. His concern is what happens once they enter Clairefontaine. For Zidane, the national team's training base should be a place of concentration rather than an arena for external attention.

When Clairefontaine became a catwalk

The phenomenon developed over many years.

Players began arriving at Clairefontaine in increasingly fashionable outfits, and what was once a simple arrival became a social-media event. Jules Koundé, Ibrahima Konaté and other French stars became particularly associated with the tradition.

Fashion magazines eventually became interested too. The players were no longer simply footballers arriving for international duty. They were becoming style figures and influencers in their own right.

The attention was enormous.

Every arrival could generate thousands of social media reactions. Fans discussed the clothes, brands, watches and accessories before the players had even completed their first training session.

That created an unusual situation for an international football team.

The players were coming together to prepare for major matches, but part of the public conversation was increasingly about what they were wearing.

Did the fashion shows actually hurt France?

There is no evidence that France's performances declined because players were wearing expensive or unusual clothes.

That would be too simplistic.

France have remained one of international football's strongest teams throughout the period when the Clairefontaine arrivals became a major spectacle. The national team reached the 2018 World Cup final and won the tournament, reached the 2022 World Cup final and remained a major force under Didier Deschamps.

So the fashion parade cannot reasonably be blamed for results on the pitch.

But there is another argument.

Football at international level is partly about concentration, preparation and controlling distractions. When players become the subject of huge conversations before training has even started, the team's attention can become divided.

A player arriving in a €10,000 outfit can become a bigger social-media story than the tactical work waiting for him inside.

Some of the outfits were valued at tens of thousands of euros, while certain watches pushed the total value of an arrival into extraordinary territory.

That does not mean the players were distracted.

It simply means Zidane appears determined to remove one unnecessary source of noise.

Zidane wants Clairefontaine to feel different

This is perhaps the most important part of the decision.

Zidane is not trying to erase personality from the France team. He is trying to separate personality from preparation.

Once the players arrive, the focus should shift towards teammates, coaches, tactics, recovery and the next opponent.

That philosophy fits the beginning of Zidane's reign.

His first matches have already shown an emphasis on squad depth and collective responsibility. France defeated Turkey and Belgium despite making major changes to the starting line-up, with Zidane using the Belgium match to make nine changes and still seeing his team produce a winning performance.

That suggests something important about his early approach: everyone has to feel involved.

And that becomes easier when the national team's attention is directed towards football rather than everything happening around it.

Could the new policy help France?

Potentially, yes.

The biggest benefit could be greater privacy.

International footballers live under enormous public scrutiny. By reducing the number of cameras waiting at the entrance, Zidane gives the squad a quieter transition into national-team duty.

It could also help establish a stronger distinction between the players' personal brands and the France shirt.

At club level, players can be fashion icons, influencers and global celebrities. At Clairefontaine, Zidane appears to want them to become France internationals first.

There could also be a psychological benefit.

A quieter arrival means fewer questions about clothing, fewer viral moments and fewer distractions before the real work begins.

The French Football Federation will still provide images, meaning fans will not completely lose access to their favourite players. The difference is that France will have more control over how those moments are presented.

But Zidane must be careful

There is a danger in going too far.

Part of modern football's attraction is the personality of its players.

Koundé's fashion choices, for example, have helped create a connection between football and popular culture. Players expressing themselves through clothing can also show a different side of their personalities and make the national team more relatable to younger supporters.

Removing the spectacle completely could therefore make the France team feel more distant.

Zidane's approach appears to recognise that balance.

The players are still free to dress however they want. What has changed is the media circus surrounding their arrival.

That is an important distinction.

A new France under Zidane

Ultimately, the end of the Clairefontaine catwalk is less about fashion than it is about control.

Zidane inherited a France team with extraordinary talent, huge personalities and global attention. His challenge is to turn all of that individual quality into a unified team.

The early signs are encouraging.

France have started Zidane's reign strongly, taking six points from their first two Nations League matches before drawing 1-1 with Italy in his first home match at the Stade de France. That result exposed areas still requiring work, but France remain at the top of their group.

The message from Zidane is becoming clear.

At Clairefontaine, the clothes can remain personal.

The football must remain collective.

The famous catwalk may have disappeared, but Zidane is hoping something more important takes its place: a France team that arrives quietly, works together and lets its football do the talking.