Zinedine Zidane Suddenly Resigns as Real Madrid Manager

Real Madrid Manager Zinedine Zidane Abruptly Resigns Days After Winning The Champions League: Zinedine Zidane Suddenly  Resigns

Zinedine Zidane abruptly resigned as Real Madrid’s manager on Thursday, just five days after leading the club to a remarkable third consecutive UEFA Champions League title. Zinedine Zidane Suddenly Resigns.

Zidane, the 45-year-old former star player on the French national team, announced his decision in a press conference Thursday and called it “a strange but a very important moment,” according to a translation of his remarks by ESPN.

“I had to do this for everyone. This team must continue winning and it needs a change that will be good for everyone,” said Zidane, who conducted the press conference in Spanish.

“This is a demanding club, not easy for them, with this great history. We always want more from the players, and a moment comes when I cannot ask them for more. They need another voice, to return to winning again.”

Real Madrid, one of the most prestigious clubs in Europe, beat Liverpool, 3-1, on Saturday to win its third Champions League title in three years under Zidane. The club also won La Liga, the top professional football league in Spain, in 2016-17.

Zidane, who leaves Real Madrid with 104 wins, 16 losses, and 29 draws, said at the news conference that he does not plan to pursue another job in the short term.

“I am not tired of coaching, after three years,” he said, according to ESPN’s translation. “But it is the moment to (leave) here.”

Less than a week after leading Real Madrid to their third consecutive Champions League title in a 3-1 win over Liverpool on Saturday, manager Zinedine Zidane announced today in a shocking press conference that he was stepping down from the club.

The 45-year-old Frenchman, who also won a Champions League trophy with Real Madrid as a player, said he was leaving “for the good of this team.”

“It would have been difficult for me to win again next year. There have been good moments, but also difficult times. I do not forget that. And at this club, you must know this. I do not want to start a season and have a bad time, I want to end with Real Madrid when everything is going well. I did it as a player, and now again as a coach. This the right moment to end things well,” he said, per ESPN. “What I think is that this team needs to continue winning but I think it needs a change, a different voice, another methodology. And that’s why I took this decision.”

He insisted his stepping down has nothing to do with rumors about Cristiano Ronaldo leaving the club. “I’ve had a good relationship with the president and we’ve spoken about signing players, but that’s not why I’m leaving,” he said.

Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez said the decision was “unexpected” but that he knew he couldn’t change Zidane’s mind.

“I would have liked to convince him, but I know how he is, so the only thing I can do is offer my respect and acknowledgment, and tell him he will always be welcome here at his home,” he said.

Real Madrid must now find a new manager, they are fourth in five years. Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has been linked to Real Madrid in the past, but he just signed a five-year extension with Tottenham. Arsène Wenger’s name has also been floated in early “reports” about possible replacements.

Who do Real turn to next?

“It’s not easy to find a coach for Real,” the club’s former president Ramon Calderon told BBC World Service.

“There are some in the market. Wenger has been offered that job many times. I know this president likes him and he was trying to offer him all the power of the club a few years ago.

“Pochettino is a good coach, no doubt he could be one of the candidates. I think Conte is free too, I don’t know.

“The president will have to talk to the big players in the dressing room – Cristiano, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo. They will give their opinion too.”

‘Real’s transition under Zidane immeasurable’

Hibernian manager Neil Lennon said Zidane “is up there with the greatest managers of all time”.

“Zidane’s record is amazing,” he added. “We thought at the time that winning back-to-back Champions Leagues was an incredible feat.

“But to do it three times in a row – we may never see that again.

“Real Madrid’s transition under Zidane has been immeasurable. In the big games he has come up trumps and he has that respect from being a great player.”

Source: usatoday.com, deadspin.com, bbc.com

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