Five Real Madrid players who have improved under Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane is one of the best managers Real Madrid has ever had or will ever have. A player’s coach through and through, Zizou understands his personnel and how to get the most out of them in nearly every match. Thanks to his leadership, these five players have greatly improved as of late.

Zinedine Zidane retired from the beautiful game in 2006, but he has been an advisor to the club and a coach for the Castilla and first teams since 2010. In that time, and especially since taking over as the manager of the senior squad in January 2016, there have been a handful of Real Madrid players who have made a name for themselves.

Zidane has returned Los Blancos to the top of European football and has won so many titles in such a short stretch in charge it will be nearly impossible for anyone to recreate.

Here, I will take a look at five players who have dramatically improved and become figureheads for the club.

Lucas Vazquez

Zidane has turned winger Lucas Vazquez from a fringe player into the club’s unsung hero since he was promoted from the Castilla team. And interestingly enough, Vazquez basically started his career with Real Madrid when Zidane was named manager.

The Spanish international spent the 2014/2015 campaign on loan with Espanyol, but returned to the Spanish capital for the 2015/2016 season and immediately had an impact. Though Zizou did not take over the team until January, there was a noticeable shift to incorporating Lucas Vazquez even with Gareth Bale playing well.

Looking at the detailed stats from the last four seasons, it’s clear that Vazquez’s numbers dramatically jumped when Zidane was at the helm. Over the last three seasons, Lucas has made 48, 51, and 45 appearances.

He has made 27 starts in each of the last two seasons and despite injuring himself earlier this season by dropping a weight on his foot, he has returned without even the slightest hint of losing his form.

His pace and vision on the right wing have proved vital in the post Cristiano Ronaldo era and with Gareth Bale struggling with form and health, Lucas has been a favorite of the boss.

If you are a Lucas Vazquez hater, get out of here.