Zinedine Zidane knew storms are never far away at Real Madrid


Frenchman did it his way during three seasons in the Bernabéu hot seat and is leaving before his legacy can be spoiled

“It might look like a strange moment but it is the right moment,” Zinedine Zidane said. And so, 878 days after taking over as manager and only five since he led them to the European Cup again, he walked away from Real Madrid. During the press conference at which he announced the decision, the president, Florentino Pérez, sitting alongside him wearing a dark suit and a darker look, Zidane was repeatedly asked if things might have been different.

Mostly he said “no” and the president too insisted there was no point trying to change his mind. And yet at the very end the Frenchman was asked if he might have stayed had Real lost the Champions League final in Kiev instead of winning it, and that time he smiled.

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