Zinedine Zidane’s shock resignation from Real Madrid in midweek took almost everyone by surprise including his own coaching staff. But sometimes we look too deeply for the answers when potentially these are staring us in the face.
Having contacted the coaches and medical / fitness teams after the Champions League celebrations to arrange a staff meeting to discuss preparations for the new season, David Bettoni and the rest of the backroom staff were stunned when they received a message from Zidane to say the meeting had been cancelled.
So in a matter of a few hours, the elation that accompanied Real Madrid winning their third Champions League in a row disappeared to be replaced by a feeling of absolute disbelief.
Since then, various theories have been put forward as to why Zizou decided to call it a day. Some say that he was tired; having given everything to the club in the last two and a half years, and that constantly trying to keep all the playing staff happy was taking its toll on a man who had nothing to prove to anyone.
Others have suggested that comments made after the historic Champions League victory over Liverpool in Kiev contributed to Zidane’s decision to go; comments which seem to have been discussed at length ever since.
Yet there was no evidence whatsoever of any of the Real Madrid players looking unhappy with their personal situations during the celebrations on Sunday; either at Cibeles in the afternoon or later in the evening at the Bernabéu.
In particular, Dani Ceballos, who rarely featured in Real Madrid’s first team last season following his move from Real Betis appeared thoroughly delighted just to have been part of a squad that pulled off such a historic achievement.