Shock as Real coach Zidane quits
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Zinedine Zidane quit as Real Madrid coach yesterday, less than a week after leading it to its third straight UEFA Champions League title, saying the club needed a change in command.
The 45-year-old Zidane, who was coach for two and half seasons, said he felt it was the right moment — for him and for the team — to make the move.
“This club needs a change to keep winning,” Zidane said. “With me it would have been complicated to keep winning.”
It was a surprising announcement by Zidane, who won nine titles as Real coach — three UCL titles, one Spanish league title, one Spanish Super Cup, two UEFA Super Cups and two Club World Cups.
“It was a completely unexpected decision,” Real president Florentino Perez said. “Today is a sad day for me, for the fans and for all the people who work at the club. I wish we could always have Zidane by our side, but we know that when Zizou makes a decision, the only thing we can do is to accept it and respect it.”
Zidane said there wasn’t a specific reason that led him to his decision. “You have to know when to quit. After three years, (the club) needs a change in speech, a new work methodology.”
Zidane mentioned the struggles the team faced this season, including in the Spanish league and the Copa del Rey. Real finished third in the league — 17 points behind champion Barcelona — and was ousted at home by Leganes in the quarterfinals of the Copa, a moment which Zidane said was the worst of his coaching career with the club.
“We went through good moments but also complicated ones, and I don’t forget them,” Zidane said. “I want to leave when everything is going well. This is a good moment to end it well.”
He spoke little about his future but said he’s not immediately looking to coach another club. Perez also didn’t talk much about the search for a new coach.
Zidane’s decision to quit came after Cristiano Ronaldo hinted he could be leaving the club. The star forward said after the UCL final against Liverpool in Kiev that “it was very beautiful” to have played with Real.
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