90min

Real Madrid players fear Zinedine Zidane could resign

By Jamie Spencer

Zinedine Zidane could walk away as Real Madrid manager for the second time
Zinedine Zidane could walk away as Real Madrid manager for the second time / Soccrates Images/Getty Images
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Real Madrid players are said to have concerns that coach Zinedine Zidane is tired and frustrated at the club and could opt to step down at the end of the season.

Zidane has left Real once before, resigning on a high following the 2018 Champions League final and stating his belief that he felt the squad needed fresh leadership to remain successful.

Zidane stepped down after the 2018 Champions League final but was persuaded to return only 10 months later
Zidane stepped down after the 2018 Champions League final but was persuaded to return only 10 months later / GENYA SAVILOV/Getty Images

However, Real struggled in his absence and president Florentino Perez persuaded the Frenchman to return to the helm less than 10 months later. He then went on to win La Liga in his first full season back, capitalising on a Barcelona side that recorded its lowest La Liga tally in 12 years.

But Real are in overdue need of a squad overhaul. Los Blancos are still heavily reliant on a number of ageing players that were central to Zidane’s Champions League triumphs, with current fringe players arguably not up to the same standard and finances making transfer investment difficult.

Goal cites conversations with a number of players to claim that there is a consensus that a change of manager will happen sooner rather than later.

It is said there is a feeling within the club that Zidane has ‘grown tired’ of trying to deal with things that are happening out of his control. Injuries and a congested fixture list are two such frustrations given, as well as having to contend with all off the coronavirus protocols in place for over a year.

Coronavirus measures have made daily life a bore for Zidane
Coronavirus measures have made daily life a bore for Zidane / MIGUEL MEDINA/Getty Images

It is said that while Zidane enjoys being at the club and leading training sessions, the safety measures in place have killed some of the ‘fun factor’ and he has become ‘bored’ with the daily routine.

With Real’s finances badly hit by the pandemic, perhaps explaining Perez’s keenness to promote the money-laden European Super League concept, the kind of player sales and new signings needed to rebuild the squad may not be possible, even though it had been hoped in the Bernabeu hierarchy that new additions, such as Kylian Mbappe, might convince Zidane to stay on.

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