Zidane quits as Real Madrid coach after 3rd title
MADRID » Zinedine Zidane quit as Real Madrid coach on Thursday, less than a week after leading the team to its third straight Champions League title, saying the club needed a change in command.
The 45-year-old Zidane, who was coach for two and half seasons, said he felt it was the right moment — for him and for the team — to make the move.
“This club needs a change to keep winning,” Zidane said. “With me it would have been complicated to keep winning.”
It was a surprising announcement by Zidane, who won nine titles as Madrid coach, including the three Champions League titles, one Spanish league title, one Spanish Super Cup, two UEFA Super Cups and two Club World Cups.
“It was a completely unexpected decision,” Madrid president Florentino Perez said. “Today is a sad day for me, for the fans and for all the people who work at the club. I wish we could always have Zidane by our side, but we know that when Zizou makes a decision, the only thing we can do is to accept it and respect it.”
Zidane said there wasn’t a specific reason that led him to his decision.
“You have to know when to quit,” he said. “After three years, (the club) needs a change in speech, a new work methodology.”
Zidane mentioned the strug-
gles the team faced this season, including in the Spanish league and the Copa del Rey. Madrid finished third in the league — 17 points behind champion Barcelona — and was eliminated at home by Leganes in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey, a moment which Zidane said was the worst of his coaching career with the club.
“We went through good moments but also complicated ones, and I don’t forget them,” Zidane said. “I want to leave when everything is going well. This is a good moment to end it well.”
Zidane spoke little about his future but said he is not immediately looking to coach another club. Perez also didn’t talk much about the club’s search for a new coach.
Zidane said his best moment with Madrid was when he was signed to play for the club in 2001.