Zidane won three straight Champions League
Less than a week after winning the Champions League 3-1 against Liverpool, Zidane announced he will not coach Real Madrid next year. It came as a surprise for the manager who won nine titles in two and half years with the club. Zidane is the only coach to ever have won three straight Champions League.
He won in total 3 Champions Leagues, 2 Club World Cups, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 1 LaLiga title and 1 Spanish Super Cup. The French manager was unbeaten for 40 games and was the fastest coach ever to win the FIFA coach of the year award after 653 days as manager. He will be forever a Real Madrid’s legend.
We have his statement to announce his resignation:
“Real Madrid have given me everything and I will always be close to this club. I’m sure the decision makes no sense to a lot of people, but for me it does. It is time for a change, for the players too. After three years, it’s the right decision.
What I can say is thank you to all of the fans. They always supported me as a player. These fans have a special place in my heart and I have to thank them for their faith. There are always tough moments throughout the season, when the fans may jeer you, but that is how the club is. The fans can be challenging, but from time to time the players need it. When you are in a difficult moment you have to keep plugging away, and if the fans pile on the pressure it can drive you on.
I’d like to thank everyone for being here. As president of Real Madrid I am appearing before you here today alongside Zinedine Zidane, and I would like to let him speak first. Zizou came to me yesterday to inform me of an unexpected decision that he has taken and I think he should be allowed to explain what that decision is and why he has made it. At this moment, I would like to just say that I am standing by him”.
Zidane then said: “As the president said, I have taken the decision to step down as Real Madrid coach. I spoke to him to clarify what I was thinking and I think this is the right moment for all involved: for me, for the squad, for the club… It is a strange moment, but it is an important moment and I had to make this decision for everyone involved.
This team needs to continue winning and they need a change. After three years they need different ideas, different ways of working and that is why I took this decision. I love this club dearly and I want to thank the president for the opportunity that he gave me to come and play at this club, this great club. I will remain grateful for the rest of my life. Now, however, it is time for change, for me and for everyone, and that is why I have taken the decision not to continue as Real Madrid coach next year”.
