Despite initially suggesting he would not become a manager after retirement, Zinedine Zidane has had a very successful managerial career with Real Madrid.
In January of 2016, Zizou took over from the sacked Rafael Benitez, with Los Blancos 10 points behind Barcelona in La Liga. By the end of the season, they had narrowed that gap down to just one point and had won the Champions League against Atletico Madrid on penalties in Milan.
The following season, Zidane guided Real Madrid to a successful La Liga and Champions League double, winning the league by three points and beating Juventus 4-1 in the UCL final in Cardiff. A 4-3 aggregate quarter-final defeat to Celta Vigo denied the chance of a club first treble.
Although the La Liga title was unsuccessfully defended in the 17/18 season, the then 46-year old was able to guide the team to an historical third Champions League title in a row, following a 3-1 win over Liverpool in Kyiv. Following the game, Zidane confirmed he would be departing the club.
Nine months and two failed appointments later, he was back at the club, instructed with cleaning up the mess he had inherited and making the team competitive again. After getting his feet under the table towards the end of the 18/19 season, he was able to rebuild the side in the 19/20 season and guide Real to another La Liga title.
The following season saw the team completely hamstrung with injuries throughout the campaign. Despite taking the season to the last day, they were again unable to defend their La Liga title, with city rivals Atletico Madrid pipping them to the post.
After which, Zidane left the club for a second time. Since then, in the four and a half years since, he has not taken another job. Given how successful he has been as a manager – with two league titles and three Champions League – this has been somewhat a surprise.
Zinedine Zidane Hiatus Could Be About to End.
However, his hiatus may be about to end. Well, at least in July. According to AS, the 53-year-old will become the new manager of the French national team after the World Cup in North America next summer.
Current manager Didier Deschamps has been in post since 2012, but has confirmed that the World Cup will be his final tournament in charge of his country. He is one of just three people to be a World Champion as both a player and manager, having been part of the midfield with Zizou back in 1998.
Despite the 2018 triumph, many spectators have suggested that Deschamps is holding back an incredible generation. At Euro 2024 – whilst France did make the semi-finals – they scored just four goals in six games, including one penalty and two own goals.
Given the attacking talent that Les Blues have – the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and co, people feel that the side would be better with Zidane at the helm. He gathered a strong reputation for managing egos and maximising his system to get the best out of attacking players during his time at Real Madrid, making him a good fit for this French side.
There is also a huge lack of French managers being developed, with nearly every single side in Ligue 1 managed by an overseas coach. With Zidane confirming that he will return to management, it feels like this is an inevitable appointment after the World Cup. Some have stated that this should have happened after the Euros, or perhaps even before that.
Earlier on today, the former Real Madrid number five was present at the Bernabeu for the NFL game between the Miami Dolphins and the Washington Commanders. He was seen speaking to Florentino Perez – you would imagine they would have discussed his return to management in some way or another..view more