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Zizu keeps his word
A Spanish press release today, Sunday, has revealed that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is trying to convince Royal legend Zinedine Zidane to return to manage the team this season.
According to Spanish newspaper AS, Real Madrid officials contacted Zidane last December to discuss Zizou’s third term in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Spanish outlet said the call could have changed Real Madrid’s future, but the French coach’s commitment to a verbal agreement with the Roosters management prevented the comeback from being completed.
He explained that Xabi Alonso’s departure as Real Madrid manager in December was only a matter of time as the decision to sack him was made, but the failure to find an ideal replacement at the time gave the former Bayer Leverkusen manager an extra opportunity to lead the Royals into the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Real Madrid did not expect to change the suspension decision after the end of the Spanish Super Cup, as the administration had already announced it, giving Alvaro Arbeloa the opportunity to coach the team until the end of the season.
AS noted that Zidane’s loyalty to Real is not in doubt, but the club’s move came late at a time when the Merengues needed a strong influence on the bench, situations that only Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti have managed to address in recent years.
Zidane has been away from coaching Real Madrid since 2021, and while his departure was not ideal at the time, time has brought Zizou and Perez back to normal as Karim Benzema’s Ballon d’Or ceremony helped reunite and overcome the rifts that plagued the Whites’ manager’s final season.
Zidane’s presence became a regular presence in the stands at the Santiago Bernabeu during big games after his relationship with Perez soured, as he watched his favorite team from a private cabin with his family.
Read also: ZidaneHe returns to the technical director’s chair after 5 years
