NO sooner had Real Madrid relieved Rafa Benitez of his duties as first team coach – after just seven months in charge – than they announced that Zinedine Zidane would be succeeding him.
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The 32-time Spanish champions fell four points behind Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga after a 2-2 draw against Valencia on Sunday and Benitez was dismissed following a board meeting held on Monday afternoon (local time).
Zidane, who has been guiding Real’s young players in their B team Castilla, welcomed the challenge and appeared to suggest that he would bring a trophy to Santiago Bernabeu.
“It’s an emotional day”, Zidane told the press conference.
“I can only say that I will do everything, the best with all of the players, and I think it will work out alright, nothing more”.
“Zinedine Zidane knows better than anyone what it is like to stand at the front and lead Real Madrid”.
“We have taken the hard decision to rescind the contract of Rafael Benitez as coach”, said Madrid president Florentino Perez.
He is the 11th coach Perez has installed during two terms in charge and it will be the former France captain’s first top-flight management job.
Fan hero Zidane, who was Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant in 2014 when Real Madrid won the Champions League, was promoted on Monday from his job as coach of Real Madrid’s B team in the third division. “The word “impossible” does not exist for you, Zinedine Zidane”.
Real Madrid have an open training session on Wednesday, with thousands expected to flock to the club’s Valdebebas training ground to watch the players being put through their paces.
There was also the traumatic Clasico in November: Barcelona embarrassed Benitez’s Real 4-0 in Madrid.
The Frenchman, who is a three-time FIFA World Player of the Year, made 225 appearances for Los Blancos, winning one league title and the Champions League during his five-year stint as a “Galactico”.
It will be the first major coaching job for the former playmaker, whose career was marked by greatness on the field but also by his head-butting of an Italian defender in the 2006 World Cup final.
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Even as Real has scored more goals than any other club in Spain’s La Liga this season – 47 in 18 games-Benitez never shook that criticism.
