ZIZOU CALLS TIME AT REAL MADRID
After leading Real Madrid to a third successive Champions League triumph, Zinedine Zidane has resigned from the hot seat at the Bernabeu.
The usual trend is for Florentino Perez to sack a manager after a triumph or two, but after 3 years of no musical chairs at the Bernabeu, Zidane has decided to press his own nuclear button before Perez’s guillotine falls on him next season.
In all honesty he was lucky to survive this season, after the worst Laliga run for Madrid in recent years, finishing third behind Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
Well, he survived, and won the champions league again.
3 years and 3 champions league wins back to back, 1 Laliga triumph, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 2 World Club Cups and 1 Spanish Super Cup after, Zidane has shown what an exceptional coach he is.
You can argue he inherited a fantastic team ; lots of proven internationals and a pool of talented youths and he has not really needed to buy big players (so he won’t be judged on that) but the point is he had to manage the big egos and step aside for them to bask in their glory.
He also had to deal with the politics of the Bernabeu and manage the fans huge expectations after La Decima.
To follow the La Decima with 3 more titles back to back in an era of super managers and super teams is fantastic, and whatever happens, Zizou’s achievements in the modern era would not be forgotten anytime soon.
Young, ambitious, ever the diplomat, I am sure we would see Zizou again very soon, perhaps back home, in Paris? Or even the premiership?
Good luck to Zizou.