Zinedine Zidane

Wtf have i woken up to i just can't believe it.

I am in shock. I thank Zidane for everything he has done, in my eyes and in the eyes of all Madridistas he has earned the honor of being considered one of this Club's "gods." Allez Zizou!

Well, he did hint at leaving at the end of the season but I don't think anyone really took it on or believed it. That being said, this fan boy of his would miss complaining about his tactics while at the same time mesmerised that it succeeds when it matters the most. Legendary footballer and now, legendary manager for us.

He did resign on his own accord right?

Will come back for a second term with more experience for sure

I can't process that this is happening, what a guy and what a way to leave.

He said "of course" he could return in the future, i think he'll take some time off and then have a spell with France NT before coming back to Madrid as a coach before eventually becoming the president.

I was joking about that but bit but what changes are you talking about? and Zidane is only 45 tbf, a lot of things can happen in a decade or two.

I don't think he'll come back simply because he can't do anything to top his first stay at Real Madrid. What's the challenge for him to come back?

He hasn't won the Copa Del Rey yet so clearly there's unfinished business

Zidane is drawn to this club, his sons all grew up here and went through the youth ranks. I think there is a chance we see him again. I doubt we can't offer something he may want in the future- money, another CL winning squad, more power. It was just his time to step away for now.

And if not, that is fine. We are still RM, Zidane isn't our only key to success.

ZZ took over when we were in crisis and left after he had put our club on a pedestal. I hope the new coach doesn't f up his great work. I am still in shock i suppose now other teams will start winning the CL

According to Marca everyone wrote a farewell message to ZZ apart from Bale. Mou where art thou

According to AS, Zidane's resignation came on the back of an argument with Perez. Apparently, the Frenchman wanted to sign Hazard and keep Navas whereas Florentino wanted to sing De Gea and not go after Hazard.

The thing here is, AS is one of the most unreliable newspapers in Spain and most of what they write is usually BS. However, this story might be holding some water because, logically speaking, it does make sense and here's why:

1. On March, 30th, 2018 Zidane said the following during a post-game press conference:

My plan is to stay at Real Madrid as long as possible

→ 70 days ago and Zidane had absolutely no desire to leave Madrid.

2. As reported by Marca and various other news outlets, his sudden decision to step down was exactly after he had a meeting with Florentino and Sanchez to discuss future plans and transfers.
→ Possibility of a falling-out.

3. Zidane has always had faith in Navas and defended him on many occasions and also completely refused to replace him last year as well. He's also known to be a lifelong fan of Hazard and he personally recommended him to Florentino before the latter moved to Chelsea. So the story being reported by AS here is not completely far-fetched.

Now, I ask you, and aside from the possibility of a major falling-out, what could possibly push Zidane to step down two months after he publicly stated he wanted to continue on for many years to come and just a few days after lifting his third CL crown? What could have possibly gone wrong? It's the same players, the same Staff, the same situation. What happened during that meeting to make him change his mind and resign? Two possibilities:

1. A row between him and the president over transfers.
2. Fear of not being able to win another major trophy and wanting to go on a high.

I'll tell you one thing; Zidane is many things, but a coward is not one of them. I'm inclined to go with the first possibility but since I don't have proof, only time will tell.

If Florentino goes after De Gea this summer and doesn't spend anything to strengthen the squad up top, we'll then have our answer.

dont buy it, this is fake news to me. he won 3 CLs and he left when he was on top just like when he was a player. imagine zidane quitting over sideway hazard and keylor lmao. this is the article from TheSun AS just translated, straight garbage.

But don't you think it's really strange that two months ago he said he wanted to stay as manager for many years to come, and within a fortnight he changes his mind?

Nope because the last thing you want when your team is running for a 3rd CL in the midst of a catastrophic league campaign, is to see every press conference hijacked and turned into "why are you leaving", "who is going to replace you" etc... If he had announced he was leaving earlier, that shit would have filtered and become public anyway.

Zidane didn't leave on top when he was a player... he left because of injuries and he couldn't sustain it physically for a season.  He was able to play an incredible WC (and he had announced his retirement well before that WC).  But his club season was very meh.

DoC...  you're finally seeing it.  And Zidane, despite his calm demeanor 99% of the time, has a temper.  Once triggered, he doesn't back off either.  Something pissed him off fierce and, rather than creating a potential clash with Perez and the club, he left suddenly.  He's not like other managers... he doesn't need the money, his reputation is in stone AND, as you said, he's definitely not a coward.

But you're not going back far enough... he was pissed over Pogba and Mbappe (mostly the later)... and the fact that he didn't want the transfers that did come in last summer. Fast forward to now and he saw the same thing happening. Namely, he wasn't going to be able to shape the squad.