Zinedine Zidane with Raphael Varane during their time at Real Madrid. (imago Images)
Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane has decided to return to the managerial ranks after being rumoured to be the next manager of Chelsea. He is without a club since leaving Real Madrid for a second time in May 2021.
The former France midfielder is eager to make a comeback to managerial duties in the summer, and a transfer to Juventus is reportedly on his radar, (h/t Football.London), as claimed by French site RMC Sport.
After taking a break, the Frenchman is now prepared to return to management, and he was expected to be one of the candidates to lead Chelsea in the upcoming campaign.
However, the 50-year-old’s prospects of managing Chelsea have decreased as the Blues have shortlisted Mauricio Pochettino to be the best contender.
Real Madrid won three consecutive Champions League titles under Zidane, who established himself as one of the top managers in Europe. Prior to the French federation extending Didier Deschamps’ contract, the former Juventus player desired to lead France.
And now with Chelsea’s potential choice of Pochettino as their new head coach for the upcoming campaign, Zidane would either take charge of Juventus or Real Madrid, as it is understood that Carlo Ancelotti could leave Real in the summer despite his contract being until the summer of 2024.
Zidane, a charismatic manager who guided Real Madrid to three straight Champions League victories, cemented his place among the best managers in Europe. He is among an elite list of managers to have won three Champions League titles.
Actually, only Bob Paisley has won the competition three times alongside Zidane while Carlo Ancelotti has won it a record four times. Talk about European royalty.
Given that he was appointed Real Madrid manager mid-season and led them to the Champions League title in the 2015-16 season, it could take little time, if any, for him to transform the Blues into a competitive team. But he will require a team with experience, and at Chelsea, the majority of our players are young.
Real Madrid had a host of readymade superstars including the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo to help Zidane out. At Chelsea, he will have to mould the superstars of tomorrow, with the likes of Mykhaylo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Enzo Fernandez and Benoit Badiashile still finding their footing in English football.
It remains to be seen if the empty managerial seat at Chelsea piques his interest. It will be a surprise for some fans if he comes here but in a good way. Zidane would be one of the best possible outcomes of our managerial search but one that seems a little unlikely right now.
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