Zidane wrote an open letter about his departure stating that leaked messages to the media about his sacking negatively affected the squad.
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Winger Eden Hazard has expressed his disappointment following the departure of former Real Madrid manager and club legend Zinedine Zidane. “Zidane’s departure? I am very disappointed. Individually I’ve not been able to give him what I have in me and that is disappointing, with all those injuries. That was difficult. But he knows I value him highly both in terms of player and coach,” he said.
Shortly after stepping down from his position as manager, Zidane has come out with an open letter to the Los Blancos faithful. The letter highlights the reasons for his stepping down, despite being adored by fans. The Frenchman held back nothing as the letter criticizes the Real Madrid management, and club president Florentino Perez in particular. Perez was said to have an amicable relationship with the world cup-winner but things seem to have gone downhill. One of the reasons for the deterioration of the two’s relationship might be the proposed European Super League (ESL). Perez was the brains behind the idea and it is safe to assume that Zidane, like almost every other footballer on the planet, was firmly opposed to it.
“In May 2018, I left because, after two-and-a-half years, with so many victories and so many trophies, I felt the team needed a new approach to stay at the very highest level,” the letter read.
“Right now, things are different. I’m leaving because I feel the club no longer has the faith in me I need, nor the support to build something in the medium or long term. I understand football and I know the demands of a club like Real Madrid. I know when you don’t win, you have to leave,” it added.
It should be said that Zidane has probably been Los Blancos’ most successful coach in recent history. He achieved an unimaginable feat when he won three back to back UEFA Champions League titles. However, the present season has been one to forget for Real. The club went trophy-less for the first time in over a decade. They did come close to snatching the league title away from local rivals Atletico Madrid, but it was not meant to be.
“But with this, a very important thing has been forgotten. Everything I built day-to-day has been forgotten, what I brought to my relationships with the players, with the 150 people who work with and around the team,” the letter read.
“I’m a natural-born winner and I was here to win trophies, but even more important than this are the people, their feelings, life itself – and I have the sensation these things have not been taken into account, that there has been a failure to understand that these things also keep the dynamics of a great club going. To some extent, I have even been rebuked for it.”
“I want there to be respect for what we have achieved together. I would have liked my relationship with the club and the president over the past few months to have been a little different to that of other coaches. I wasn’t asking for privileges – of course not – just a little more recollection,” it added.
Zidane also spoke about how he believed that leaked messages to the media about his sacking negatively affected him and the squad, and created doubts and misunderstandings.
“Luckily, I had these amazing lads who were with me to the death. When things turned ugly, they saved me with magnificent victories, because they believed in me and knew I believed in them,” it added.
“Of course, I’m not the best coach in the world, but I’m able to give everyone – whether it’s a player, a member of the coaching staff, or any employee – the strength and confidence they need in their job. I know perfectly well what a team needs. Over these 20 years at Madrid, I’ve learnt that you, the fans, want to win, of course, but above all you want us to give our all: the coach, the staff, the employees and of course the players. And I can assure you we’ve given 100% of ourselves to this club,” it concluded.
