Zinedine Zidane, sitting alongside Real President Florentino Pérez, during a press briefing to announce his resignation. |
Five days after
celebrating three consecutive Champions League titles with victory over
Liverpool in Kiev, Zinedine Zidane has stepped down as Real Madrid head
coach.
Zidane announced his
decision in Madrid on Thursday morning according to The Guardian’s Report.
Sitting alongside Real President
Florentino Pérez, the World Cup winner said he felt he had taken the club as
far as he could.
Hear him: “I have taken
the decision to not continue into the next season. For me and for everybody, I
think the moment to change has arrived. It was not an easy decision.
“This is my decision,” he
continued, having admitted he had previously planned to sign a new contract.
“Maybe it’s a mistake. But I feel it’s time. If I don’t think that we can keep
winning then it’s time. How can I ask more from the players? Big players need a
change.
“If I was the manager here
next season, it would have been tough for us to win trophies. You saw in the
Copa [del Rey] this season and I can’t forget our domestic campaign that
easily.”
Real finished only third
in La Liga, 17 points behind champions Barcelona and lost in the domestic
cup’s quarter-finals to Leganés.
Pérez added: “This was a
totally unexpected decision, Zidane informed me of his choice yesterday. I
thank him for the work he has done.”
Zidane, who joined the
club in 2001 in a then-world record fee from Juventus, said: “I will be
close to this club for the rest of my life. I want to thank the fans, who
always supported me both as a coach and a player. There were tough moments
during the season and although I was sometimes whistled at, I want to thank the
fans.
“This is a beautiful
moment as we have just won a third straight Champions League and I have now
reflected and made this decision.
The Frenchman, formerly
coach of Real Madrid Castilla, was appointed as head coach of Real’s
first team in January 2016 after the dismissal of Rafa Benítez, and guided the
club to the Champions League title by beating Atlético Madrid on penalties in
the final.
He won the Spanish league
title in his second season, then became the first manager to win the Champions
League in his first three seasons when Real defeated Juventus in the 2017
final, and Liverpool this month.
“A change is needed. I’m
not going to get involved in these things,” he said when asked about a possible
successor. “I’m not here to talk about the future of this team.”
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