Just one week after watching Real Madrid suffer elimination from the Champions League, Zinedine Zidane has made a sensational return to the Spanish club.
Zidane, who won three successive European titles during his time in charge, remained popular with plenty of squad members even after stepping down following the 2018 victory over Liverpool.
Now, as he returns in place of Santi Solari, we’ve taken a look at what some of his current and former players have said about the Frenchman.
Sergio Ramos
Real Madrid captain Ramos has been one of his manager’s biggest supporters, and it all goes back to the Frenchman’s first season in charge.
Zidane took over from Rafa Benitez in the middle of the 2015-16 season, going on to win the Champions League, and Ramos would detail the difference between the pair in that first few months.
“The great relationship he had with the team turned into a friendship and made things easier,” he told BeinSports, adding: “That was missing with Benitez.”
Marcelo
Another member of that imperious back four which kept five clean sheets in seven knockout games on their way to the 2015-16 Champions League title, Marcelo has spoken about leaving nothing on the line for his manager.
“We had a wonderful relationship as we talked every day; he was interested in me and he defended me,” the Brazilian, who was among the scorers in that penalty shoot-out victory over Atlético Madrid, told Marca.
“Zizou was very good to me as he was a professional, and I did everything for him; I ran, I fought, I played injured. Practically, I gave everything for Zidane.”
Gareth Bale
Not everyone was delighted with the boss, though, and news of Zidane’s return was seen as bad news for Gareth Bale. The Welshman complained about his lack of playing time after making the difference in the 2018 Champions League final and has since revealed the pair haven’t exactly been close since that day.
“He didn’t talk to me about [leaving] – I still haven’t spoken to him since,” Bale told FourFourTwo in 2019.
“Our relationship was good. I wouldn’t say we were best mates, it was just a normal professional relationship.”
In normal circumstances this might not be much to write home about, but the friendship Zidane has seemed to develop with other squad members might be enough to raise questions about Bale keeping things purely professional.
Cristiano Ronaldo
It’s not just the players still at the club who have had words of praise for Zizou. This season’s struggles can be put down in part to Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure for Juventus, and the Portuguese was able to keep delivering the goods well into his 30s under Zidane.
Was Ronaldo always likely to respond better to a coach who had done it all as a player, rather than someone like Rafa Benitez? Quite possibly, if his comments to Marca are to be believed.
“Zidane was a former player and knows the club well,” Ronaldo said.
“Being an ex-player has its advantages, and Zizou is calm, very professional, and listens.”