Rafael Benitez Out, Zinedine Zidane In
Rafael Benitez exited Santiago Bernabeu, following the frustrating result against Valencia. Replacing him was the French football icon, Zinedine Zidane.
Prior to the Valencia match, speculations about the ex-Napoli’s sacking cropped out. But this was confirmed when Real Madrid was forced to settle for an even steven finish against Valencia. The match ended in 2-2 and left the Los Blancos on the 3rd spot and four points behind the new league leader, Atletico Madrid. The squad’s decreasing possibilities of lifting the silverware triggered the sacking.
Yet, the Valencia draw was not the sole reason behind Benitez’s exit. It was a long overdue that pundits and experts attribute to several factors. According to ESPN FC, these include his inability to connect with the players, the 4-0 loss to Barcelona despite Lionel Messi’s absence, the Copa del Rey fall-out, the failure to admit his mistakes and the utmost dependence to the club’s big players.
Meanwhile, Zidane, who was previously managing Real Madrid Castilla, thanked the management for the opportunity to handle the La Liga powerhouse. He also expressed his desire to snatch trophies for the team.
“I have to do is try my best for the team to win something at the end of the year,” Zidane stressed.
Before he was appointed as Real Madrid’s manager, it was reported that he approached the club’s ex-skipper, Iker Casillas and discussed the possibilities of returning to the club. Unfortunately, this did not materialize.
On the other hand, Real Madrid’s Florentino Perez shared that he had a hard time in terminating Benitez’s contract and thanked Real Madrid’s former manager.
Photo Credit: SkySports
