Zinedine Zidane says he is stepping down as Real Madrid head coach, just five days after leading them to a third straight UEFA Champions League triumph.
The Frenchman informed Real Madrid president Florentino Perez of his decision to quit earlier this morning.
However, the timing of his announcement still came as a shock just days after Real beat Liverpool 3-1 in the Champions League final.
The former French international announced his decision at an impromptu press conference at Real Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground on Thursday morning. Sat alongside Real president Florentino Pérez.
He said: “I’ve taken the decision to not continue next year as Real Madrid coach.”
Zidane added: “I made this decision because I love this club, I love (Florentino Perez) and I am grateful to him.
“This is the best moment for everyone, it might seem a bit strange, but it had to be done for the good of all of us.
“This team needs to keep winning, and it needs a change after three years, a new voice, another way of working.
claiming the club needs "a different voice".
Zidane told a news conference that "everything changes" and "that's why I took this decision".
He leaves having guided the Spanish club to three successive Champions League titles and one La Liga success since taking over in January 2016.
"I love this club," he added.
"What I think is that this team needs to continue winning but I think it needs a change, a different voice, another methodology. And that's why I took this decision."
"This is the biggest club in the world that has won 13 European Cups, so I'm happy to be part of this history," he said after victory in Kiev.
He claimed the first of his hat-trick of European triumphs two years ago when Real defeated local rivals Atletico Madrid on penalties in the final. A year later he led Real to their first European Cup and La Liga double in 59 years.
Real Madrid won their first league title since 2012 before crushing Juventus 4-1 in the Champions League final to become the first side to win the competition in its current format in back-to-back seasons.
The 45-year-old Frenchman, 45, took over after Rafael Benitez was sacked and was in charge for 149 games. He steered Real Madrid to 104 wins and 29 draws, had 69.8% win rate, and won nine trophies. The Spanish side also won the UEFA Super Cup twice and the FIFA Club World Cup twice during Zidane's tenure.
0 comments:
Post a Comment