SportsZidane Blames Real Madrid Owners For Exit Decision

Zidane Blames Real Madrid Owners For Exit Decision

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BEVERLY HILLS, May 31, (THEWILL) – In an open letter penned to fans of La Liga giants, Real Madrid, former French manager, Zinedine Zidane, provided a background to the reason behind his leaving his role in the managerial dugout of the former Spanish champions after a return to Madrid, which paled in significance when contrasted with the overwhelming success of his first tenure as the Real manager.

He wrote that his decision was founded on the realisation that the club’s hierarchy did not have enough faith in him to rebuild an ageing squad, even though they were only one point removed from eventual winners Atletico Madrid.

The highly valued Frenchman, the only manager to have won and defended the coveted UEFA Champions League trophy and won it thrice in a row, returned to Real for a second spell in charge in March 2019.

In his coaching gig with Real for the first and second times, Zidane won two La Liga titles and three Champions League crowns. With rumours of his exit swirling in the media near the end of the 2020/2021 season, it was revealed that he had confessed to his squad in the dressing room that he was leaving the former Spanish champions but he vehemently denied the report.

Last week, the 48-year-old eventually stepped down after Real suffered their first trophyless season in 11 years. They finished as runners up in La Liga and were knocked out of the Champions League semi-finals. Perhaps the lowest point of the season was a humiliating defeat to third division minnows Alcoyano in the round of 32 in the Copa del Rey competition.

To level up with the fanbase, Zidane wrote an open letter, which was published in the local sports daily AS. In the letter, Zidane wrote that the reason he left the first time in 2018 was because he felt the team needed a new approach to stay at the highest level after enjoying so much success under his managerial debut.

He stressed the point that it was a different situation at the moment: ”Right now, things are different. I’m leaving because I feel the club no longer has the faith in me I need, nor the support to build something in the medium or long term.”

The club legend also suggested that his relationship with Florentino Perez Rodriguez, the club president, had changed in recent weeks, and hit out at the series of leaks and stories about his future coming from within Real, like the dressing room story.

He wrote: “I would have liked my relationship with the club and the president over the past few months to have been a little different to that of other coaches.

“I wasn’t asking for privileges. Of course not, just a little more recollection. It hurt me so much when I read in the press, after a defeat, that I would be sacked if I didn’t win the next game.”

It hurt me and the whole team because these deliberately leaked messages to the media negatively influenced the squad, they created doubts and misunderstandings.”

It is uncertain if there would be any rebuttals from the club management as it would be uncharacteristic to banter words in the public domain with a respected former champion, as player and as coach for the Spanish football heavyweights.

Besides, the arduous task of engaging a new manager is keeping the club busy with Mauricio Pochettino one of the high profile managers being considered, even though he has only been at his post in Paris Saint-Germain for half of last season and has one year of his contract still to go.

About the Author

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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

Jude Obafemi, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

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