The Frenchman decided to leave after the club failed to win the 2020/21 La Liga title.
Jammu: Zinedine Zidane has decided to resign as the manager of Real Madrid with immediate effect.
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, who specialises in football transfers, broke the news of Zidane’s resignation on his Twitter account.
The news of Zidane’s resignation comes after a disappointing season for the Los Blancos, as they finished second in the La Liga title race and lost in the Champions League semi-finals to Chelsea. This was the first time in 11 seasons that Real Madrid failed to win a trophy.
This was Zidane’s second stint as the manager of Real Madrid. He first joined the club as the manager in 2016 and later again in 2019, after resigning from the post in 2018. The Frenchman won 11 trophies in his two spells as the Real Madrid manager, including two La Liga titles and three Champions League titles. Real Madrid became the only club in history under him to win the Champions League three times in a row.
Zidane after winning the third consecutive Champions League with Real in 2018, confirmed his departure from the club. He said in a press conference that the team needed to keep winning but also added that after three years change was required. Zidane was replaced by Julen Lopetegui, who was removed from the manager’s position within a few months because of a series of bad results, and replaced by Santiago Solari.
Bringing in Solari didn’t change the luck of the team as well. After elimination from Copa Del Rey in the semi-finals and losing to Ajax in the Champions League, Solari was also dismissed as the manager, within five months of him getting the job. Zidane was re-signed as the manager by the club.
There had been speculation of Zidane stepping down as the Real Madrid manager, but he kept denying the reports.
Ashwin Ferro, the deputy sports editor at Mid-Day, said, “Zidane took over the reins as the Madrid manager for the first time during a tough period for the club in 2016 and won three back-to-back Champions League titles. He set very high standards for himself, and this time, it was for the first time in over a decade that they failed to win a single trophy, and he must be feeling accountable for what happened, which is why he thought of quitting.”
“His first tenure as the Real Madrid manager was as successful a tenure that any manager could hope for. It was also his first time managing a club as big as Madrid. After his departure in 2018, along with Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid really struggled to find form again, and after the team’s loss to Ajax in the Champions League, Madrid re-signed Zidane as the manager, and he got them to another La Liga title,” said Abhishek, a fan who’s been watching football for years.
“The club is in a transition phase, and a few senior players like Sergio Ramos might be on their way out. So, this might be the right time for him to go because if he moves on and the club brings in a new coach, it might usher in a new era for the club,” said Ashwin.
