Zinedine Zidane says Real Madrid's lack of faith in him led to second managerial departure

Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane penned an open letter to fans of the club, explaining the reasons he chose to leave.

Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane in a file photo
By Shayne Dias | May 31, 2021 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

When Zinedine Zidane recently left the post of Real Madrid manager, few were surprised. The Frenchman’s return to the dugout saw Real win a La Liga title in 2019/20 but little else. The financial crunch caused by the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t help, of course. Yet there existed a feeling that Zidane was operating with his hands tied. Add to that the constant media scrutiny and it is easy to see wht things fell apart.

However, Zidane hadn’t spoken about the reasons of his second departure – until now. The legendary former Galactico penned an open letter to fans, explaining the reasons he chose to leave.

Zidane felt like he no longer retained the faith of the club and that he received no support from those in charge.

“I’m leaving because I feel the club no longer has the faith in me that I need, nor the support to build something in the medium or long term,” Zidane said in the letter published in AS.

“I understand football and I know the demands of a club like Real Madrid. I know that, when you don’t win, you have to leave.

“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.”

Respect my achievements: Zinedine Zidane

Zidane also shone light on what he considered ‘disrespect’ from the people in charge.

“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 feeling 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 heavily criticised 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.

He clarifies this by saying he wasn’t asking for anything more than recogntion for he accomplished.

“I wasn’t asking for privileges, of course not, just a little more retrospect. These days the life of a coach in the dugout at a big club is two seasons, little more.

“For it to last longer the human relationships are essential, they are more important than money, more important than fame, more important than everything. They need to be nurtured.”

Real Madrid are yet to name a successor to Zidane. Antonio Conte is being touted within some quarters as the favourite to take the job.





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