Published on : 27/05/2021 – 14:02Modified : 27/05/2021 – 14:01
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Madrid (AFP)
Zinédine Zidane and Real Madrid, it’s over: the French coach decided on Thursday to put an end to the love story between him and the Spanish club after a second term as coach less brilliant than the first.
After a triumphant farewell as a player in 2006, then a first departure from the bench in May 2018, five days after winning an unprecedented treble in the Champions League, Zidane leaves Real for the third time with a duller record and a last season virgin of any title.
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“Real Madrid announce that Zinédine Zidane has decided to end his current term as coach of our club,” the “White House” said in a statement.
Praised by all “Madrid” supporters despite the failures of this season, Zidane, unlike his first stint on the bench of the “White House”, has not escaped criticism this season.
Indicating “respect his decision”, the club merengue underlines that “Zidane is one of the great myths of Real Madrid and his legend goes beyond what he was as coach and player of our club”.
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“Real Madrid will always be his home,” the club added.
After winning nine trophies in two and a half years during his first stint on the bench for Real (2016-2018), Zidane was called to the rescue in March 2019 by President Florentino Perez to replace Santiago Solari while Real no ‘had nothing more to gain.
Eliminated in the round of 16 of C1 by Ajax Amsterdam, the club was already behind in La Liga, eliminated by Barça in the Copa del Rey and twice defeated by Barça in the clasicos.
“Zizou” then signs until June 2022, with a clear objective: to start a new cycle at Real Madrid, a year after the famous treble in the Champions League and after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus Turin. It is this failed renewal that today leads to the departure of the Ballon d’Or 1998.
Because Florentino Perez gave all the keys to “Zizou” in the 2019 offseason, with the “galactic” arrival of Eden Hazard (recruited at Chelsea for 115 M EUR but long injured since), and the recruitment of several great hopes, like Rodrygo, Eder Militao, Luka Jovic or Ferland Mendy.
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But apart from Mendy, the newcomers will be slow to confirm and the pandemic will change everything.
Zidane finally continued to rely on the backbone which has made the great recent successes of the “White House”: Sergio Ramos and Raphaël Varane in defense; Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro in the midfield; and Benzema in attack.
Real will manage to snatch their 34th La Liga title in front of Barça when the season resumes, last July, but disappointed in the Champions League, where they were eliminated in the round of 16 by Manchester City.
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And this season, far from the excellence demanded by the Madrid institution, Zidane and his players will have had a roller coaster ride, alternating disillusions and rare blows of brilliance.
With a shortened preseason, 54 injuries and 8 cases of Covid-19 accumulated over the season, Zidane had to redouble his ingenuity and use his tactical skills to dodge pitfalls.
“ZZ” for example dared to tinker with a defense with three central, took the time to trust Vinicius, and even launched some young hopes of the reserve team of Real.
On the continental stage, Zidane was not unworthy: despite the difficulties, he hoisted his tired group to the semi-finals, where he gave in to Chelsea. But in the Copa del Rey and the Super Cup of Spain, Real has multiplied the disillusions.
And even though he managed to meddle in the title fight in the final sprint of the championship, Zidane failed to retain the national crown.
As in 2018, Zidane is leaving his post just days after the end of the season. But unlike 2018, where he resigned after an unprecedented treble in C1, this time, he abandoned him on one knee.
What will be the future for him? Rumors see him at Juventus Turin, another of his former clubs, where Andrea Pirlo’s future looks very uncertain. He could also take a few sabbaticals, as in 2018, before, perhaps, thinking of taking up the torch from his former comrade Didier Deschamps in the French team after the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
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In his place, at Real, we are talking about another legend of the club, Raul, currently at the head of Castilla. The names of Massimiliano Allegri and Joachim Löw are also whispered.
© 2021 AFP
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