Real Madrid confirmed this Monday afternoon the news that many fans were waiting for: Zinedine Zidane is back. The French was announced as the new head coach, with a new contract until June 2022. He returns 9 months after leaving, to replace Santiago Solari.
The Argentine was sent off of the club less than a week after the elimination in the Champions League, on the round of 16, after a defeat by 4-1 to Ajax. Even taking him out of the command of the team, Solari has received a new position inside the club (that it was not revealed yet).
The change was already being speculated since last Tuesday, after the Merengues’ season was basically finished because of the disqualification in Champions League and 2 losses to Barcelona inside the Santiago Bernabéu. They were already out of the Copa del Rey and the chances on La Liga were really small, which made it clear to the staff that they had to make a reconstruction, and they decided not to wait until the end of the season.
With this change, Real Madrid is now with their third different coach this season – that could be described as chaotic. After the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and Zidane at the last summer window, the team that got the European Title three years in a row was not able to get good results and had a terrible start on the Spanish Championship, which led to Lopetegui’s being fired. Solari was able to make the team grow a little, but after a time the crises came back.
Now, the only hope is their former coach and idol, who has got great numbers on his first time as a coach. There were 149 matches, with 104 victories and some records. He got, for example, the biggest invincibility in the Spanish League, with 40 matches without losing. If he comes back as he left, Real will certainly go back to the top.