Zinedine Zidane looking like a veteran at Madrid's helm
MADRID: Only 17 months into his first head-coaching job, Zinedine Zidane is one game away from winning his second Champions League title with Real Madrid.
It would be an amazing feat for the former France great, who also helped Madrid win its first Spanish league title in five years, as well as the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
All that in only his second season as a coach.
"You were the best player in the world, and now you are simply the best coach in the world," Madrid president Florentino Perez told Zidane in a ceremony celebrating the team's first Spanish league title since 2012. "Thank you, Zizou, for everything that you have given us and for everything that you are still giving us."
The 44-year-old Zidane also helped Madrid win the Champions League as a player in 2002, scoring an amazing volley in the final against Bayer Leverkusen in Glasgow, Scotland.
The Frenchman has been displaying the same calm as a coach as he showed when he netted that spectacular winner.
Zidane replaced coach Rafa Benitez with the team in crisis early in 2016, and he got the squad back on track and has kept it competitive ever since. Always serene and speaking in low tones, he gained the confidence of the players with his moves both on and off the field.
Zidane used several different formations and successfully resorted to rotations to keep his top players fresh at the important moments of the season. He gave a lot of playing minutes to the entire squad and kept them committed at all times. He even convinced Cristiano Ronaldo to skip games and get some rest, something unthinkable in previous seasons.
"Zidane was my idol since I was very young, I had a poster of him in my bedroom," Real Madrid midfielder Marco Asensio said. "I'm proud to have him as a coach now, and it's amazing to be able to learn from him and to follow his advice."
One of Madrid's greatest players, Zidane also has a close connection with Juventus, his team's opponent in Saturday's final in Cardiff.
He played two consecutive Champions League finals with the Italian club, losing both times, including to Madrid in 1998.
Zidane spent five seasons in total with Juventus, winning two Serie A titles before moving to Madrid. The talented midfielder played more than 150 games with each of the clubs.
On Saturday, Zidane will be trying to become the first coach to win consecutive Champions League titles. Madrid will look to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the competition's new format was created in 1992-93.
Zidane was an assistant to Carlo Ancelotti when the Spanish club won the 2014 title against Atletico Madrid. He then took over Madrid's "B'' team before earning the chance with the main squad.