Zinedine Zidane Returns to Coach Real Madrid

Zinedine Zidane announcing his resignation from Real Madrid last May. Photo by Mortimer Peterssen/DYDPPA/REX/Shutterstock

Only 284 days after stepping down as the head coach of Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane is going back to the Bernabéu to try to fix what he built.

Real Madrid, which has endured a painful season that saw their elimination from the Champions League in the Round of 16, their elimination in Copa del Rey by bitter rivals Barcelona, and their virtual elimination from La Liga title competition early in the year, had to make a change.

Santiago Solari, who replaced Julen Lopetegui after he was sacked in October after a rough start, started off well at the helm of Los Blancos, but quickly found his fortunes shift after the turn of 2019.

Real Madrid’s early exit in the Champions League at the hands of Ajax was unacceptable for Real Madrid fans and for president Florentino Pérez, and was ultimately the straw that broke the camel’s back.

After 3 consecutive CL titles and 9 overall trophies won under Zidane during his three seasons, the club tried desperately to coax the Frenchman out of a break from coaching.

And they succeeded.

Zidane’s new contract runs through 2022, and Madrid fans and the team’s board hopes that the club legend will lead them back to the promised land.

He has a mountain to climb in front of him, but if anyone can bring the La Liga giants back to their recent glories, Zidane is the man to do so.

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