4 young players whose Real Madrid careers were ruined by Zidane

THEO HERNANDEZ

Real Madrid signed Theo Hernandez from Deportivo Alaves in 2017, but he failed to get any chances over Marcelo whose dip in standard was visible from that year onward. Subsequently, he was loaned out to AC Milan for a year. In came Zidane and following Ferland Mendy’s signing, the Rossoneri made Theo’s deal permanent.

He has been a terrific left back with them as they take major strides towards a Serie A title for the first time in over a decade. Theo’s attacking prowess and defensive abilities could have made him a magnificent successor to Marcelo but even he was sold in a similar way to Achraf- without a buyback clause neither a right to first refusal.

Theo Hernandez was never given chances by Zidane and he joins a long list of young players who were ostracized by Zidane. To make things worse, Zidane gave chances to his own son, Luca, who now plays in the third division of Spanish football but overlooked Theo who was a seasoned player even with Alaves for a few years prior to his arrival.