Madrid president Florentino Perez claimed that the former Juventus star's "dream" is to be France manager and he will "surely achieve it. The year-old Spaniard said: "I know [Zidane] and it's been a hard year. I fought for him to stay. Topics: Football , Zinedine Zidane , France.
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Poland-Belarus border: What you need to know about the crisis. The atmosphere had to be right. That meant his return as coach in came with strings attached, as Zidane expected a series of conditions to be met. Near the top of that list was what one source termed an "immediate" departure for Gareth Bale. The relationship between the two had already reached its crisis point around the Champions League final.
Zidane dropped Bale in Kiev, only to see him come on and score twice to win the trophy, almost in spite of his coach. Zidane left days later, and Bale stayed. When Zidane returned, there was no prospect of reconciliation. A speedy resolution to the Bale problem wasn't the only demand that went unmet. Zidane wanted the club to prioritise the signing of a powerful box-to-box player that he felt necessary to complete the team's midfield.
The coach would have preferred Paul Pogba , with his staff pointing to data they said proved Pogba would out-perform Llorente "in top-level games. Nor did anyone else of a similar profile. Zidane had to use Federico Valverde , a promising player but at an earlier stage of his career, in the role.
There were frustrations from the club's side, too. A long-standing complaint, endlessly voiced by senior club sources, was Zidane's alleged mismanagement and lack of faith in expensive young stars, as he preferred the players he could rely on.
His relationship with captain Sergio Ramos , for example, was one of mutual respect. The pair had briefly played together, a teenage Ramos joining Madrid in in time for Zidane's final season. Karim Benzema -- the most important forward in the squad after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo -- idolised Zidane, describing him as "like an older brother.
And he loved them. When the coach's job was saved by the Madrid derby win in Dec. Kroos, Modric and Benzema were "fing great," he gushed. Zidane's loyalty was, in the club's view, a weakness.
He persevered with Isco and Marcelo -- outstanding in and -- long after their on-field performances and attitudes had drastically deteriorated. When it came to players such as Vinicius Junior, Zidane's staff called for "patience". That wasn't acceptable to senior figures at the club, who were exasperated by the lack of involvement for a number of expensive youngsters. These prospects had to become "realities" and soon, club sources said, as they doubted Zidane was the man for the job.
How many young players had truly improved under him? How many had left, permanently or on loan, only to prove their worth elsewhere? The friction over this issue was a steady, background hum of discontent throughout Zidane's two spells in charge. The club cited his handling of forward Luka Jovic , a player Zidane had specifically asked for and quickly gave up on. Midfielder Martin Odegaard was another case in point, recalled early from his successful Real Sociedad loan at Zidane's insistence, only to become frustrated at his limited opportunities and leave again, joining Arsenal for the season.
When the going got tough, Zidane turned to his tried and trusted veterans, time and time again, and hoped that their legs could take it. Over 60 injuries -- counting those that forced players to miss games -- in suggested that what had previously been his greatest strength, making the most of his squad, had failed him. After they exited the Champions League with defeat to Chelsea in the semifinals, there was, if anything, surprisingly little criticism of Zidane and the team.
The consensus was that an exhausted squad's limits had been reached, as much as the limits of Zidane's own tactical acumen up against Thomas Tuchel and the eventual winners. Each Real Madrid manager tends to be a reaction to the last. A tough guy is often followed by a soft touch, and vice versa. There is a yearning from club president Perez for mano dura -- "a strong hand" -- and for someone to take back the power from the dressing room, putting the players in their place.
That explains the appeal of Mourinho after all these years. It also explains the longstanding links to Antonio Conte, vetoed by the dressing room in Oct. The return of Carlo Ancelotti this week contradicts all that.
San Diego. Tampa Bay. Washington DC. By The Athletic Staff. Zinedine Zidane has penned an open letter to Real Madrid fans explaining his departure from the club.
The Frenchman's exit comes a year before his contract was set to expire. Open letter from Zidane in AS today — says he left as Florentino wouldn't support him in building new team, and kept leaking to reporters he could be fired In an extraordinary turn of events Karim Benzema was tonight called up to the France Euro squad by manager Didier Deschamps.
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