BEVERLY HILLS, May 15, (THEWILL) – The question of whether iconic French coach of La Liga defending champions Real Madrid will be at the helm with Los Blancos next season has been one that has evoked debates of the merits and demerits for Zinedine Zidane and for the team if he remains on at the managerial position in Madrid or if he leaves.
Aware of the constant back and forth his position in Real constantly elicits, it is no wonder the Frenchman chose the softer landing of breaking the choice he made about the job to the squad.
In a revelation from deep within the Real squad, it has emerged that Zidane has unveiled his plans to exit his position at the end of the current season, which he let the team in on within the dressing room before they filed out for last Sunday’s 2-2 league draw away to Sevilla.
When he eventually walks out the door, it will mark his second departure from the Real dugout but the one with the quieter ovation, if any. THEWILL recalls that he quit to thunderous applause in 2018 following the unprecedented “Three-peat” that saw him lead Real to three consecutive UEFA Champions League victories.
Zidane has decided to call time on continued stay at Madrid and the pair of remaining matches against Athletic Club on Sunday and Villarreal on the following Sunday, May 23 will be his parting salvo.
There is the possibility that Zidane may have his eyes on the off chance that, if the flailing Ligue 1 holders Paris Saint-Germain decide to rid themselves of another Ligue 1 icon, in the person of current coach Andrea Pirlo, that will be a vacancy he may fancy to occupy.
His wealth of experience, especially in Europe, his big game mastery and his hefty resume combined with the memories of his time at the Old Lady as a younger and prodigious playmaker, make him an immensely attractive prospect to be handed the reins to do with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar what he did with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
As he has been bogged down by the pressures of the responsibility of the dugout at Real for the most part of the season, with its deleterious effects on his balance, it is not immediately certain if Zidane will plan to go straight back into the trenches of the coaching command again without some time to retreat and recharge. It will depend on the manager, the path he chooses to take.
He may well still have something for some applause before he bows out this season. Real have kept the pressure on Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid into the final two games for both teams with two points in between them. If there is a tie and Real and Atletico are joint leaders at the top by the season’s end, Madrid, with the superior head-to-head record will retain the title.
It is a long shot but that has never disturbed Zidane, both as a footballer and as a manager. If he had a shot in his sights, he took it. And more often than not, he found his target. He is not about to change now.
About the Author
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.
