OFFICIAL: Zidane leaves Real Madrid

Real Madrid released a statement this Thursday 27th May announcing the departure of their manager with immediate effect, which read as follows: "Real Madrid C. F. announces that Zinedine Zidane has decided to bring an end to his current spell as head coach of our club.

"We must now respect his decision and express our gratitude for his professionalism, dedication and passion over the years and what he means to Real Madrid. Zidane is one of Real Madrid’s great icons and his legacy extends beyond what he has achieved as a coach and player at our club.

"He is aware that he has a place in the hearts of the Real Madrid fans and that he will always have a home at Real Madrid."

 

May 27, 2021

The Frenchman's departure comes at the end of a disappointing campaign for the 13-time European champions, who also lost to Chelsea in the Champions League semi-finals as they failed to win a trophy for the first time in 11 seasons.

Only 10 days ago Zidane, who has a contract until 2022, denied press speculation he had already told his players he would be leaving at the end of the season. "How am I going to tell my players that I am going now? It's a lie," he said after a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao.

"I'm focused on this season. There is a game left and we are going to give everything. I only care what happens in this finale," he said at the time. But, perhaps tellingly, he added: "The rest, we will see at the end of the season."

The announcement marks the end of Zidane's second spell in charge of the Spanish giants. The 1998 World Cup winner first took the helm in January 2016 and guided Real to the 2017 La Liga title and an unprecedented hat-trick of Champions League titles before abruptly quitting on May 31, 2018. He returned in 2019, winning a second La Liga crown in 2020 and the Spanish Super Cup.

During his second stint as Real coach, Zidane's task was to rebuild the club after Portuguese star striker Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Juventus. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez then opened the coffers, signing Eden Hazard from Chelsea as well as several other rising stars such as Eder Militao, Luka Jovic and Ferland Mendy.

But playmaker Hazard has been injured for most of the season and most of the other new recruits disappointed, with Zidane forced to rely on veteran players such as Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane in defence and Karim Benzema in attack. The squad was also plagued with a lot of injuries and eight cases of Covid-19.

Zidane has a history of making surprise announcements: as a player, he initially announced his retirement from international football in 2004 before coming back for the 2006 World Cup, after which he retired for good.

Zidane could take another break from football but he has been linked with taking charge of the French national team and Juventus, where he spent five years as a player.  However Didier Deschamps is likely to remain France coach until the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, barring a disastrous performance at the European Championship that kicks off next month.

As to who will fill his boots at Real Madrid, several names have come up: former Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri, ex-Madrid striker Raul Gonzalez or Joachim Loew, who steps down as Germany coach at the end of this summer's European Championships.