Why Zinedine Zidane leaving won’t hurt Real Madrid in LaLiga title race

Rumors of Zinedine Zidane stepping down from Real Madrid at the end of the 2020-2021 season have been quietly swirling around for months, but they didn’t reach a crescendo until just before the weekend fixture at San Mames against Athletic Bilbao.

And now, they have reached a full roar. Reliable reporters, such as Mario Cortegana of Goal.com, are stating that Zizou has already told Real Madrid players that he will leave the club at the end of the season.

It seemed like Zidane would wait until the end of the season to make a decision and inform everyone, but perhaps he saw that the cat was out of the bag and could not hold it in any longer. Although nothing is official as with Hansi Flick leaving Bayern Munich – he announced the move to the players and then the press officially learned of his impending departure – the likes of Fernando Burgos of Onda Cero and Cortegana would not report something like this unless it were true.

So now, Madridistas may have concerns about how this affects the title race. Zidane leaving is a huge deal to the players and to the club. He rescued the organization in 2019-2020 after a coaching carousel and nightmare 2018-2019 campaign.

Real Madrid’s players will use Zinedine Zidane’s departure as motivation to end on a high note

The likes of Raphael Varane, Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Thibaut Courtois, Luka Modric, Casemiro, and Toni Kroos all returned to their best levels under Zizou. Real Madrid won the league again. And youngsters Fede Valverde, Ferland Mendy, Rodrygo Goes, and Eder Militao have made breakthroughs under the French manager.

He will be missed. But will his decision to tell the team before the season ends hurt Real Madrid? Will it cause the players to lose focus against two tough opponents in Athletic Club and Villarreal?

I don’t think so.

In fact, I believe the opposite will happen.

I believe Real Madrid will find their strongest level and continue the fight they showed at the end of the Sevilla match and in the 4-1 win over Granada. I believe that Real’s players will find something else deep within them in this grueling season during the final games, out to give their legendary manager a triumphant send-off in the form of a 35th LaLiga title.

It may be bold to state this, but Zidane would not have revealed this information to them without the confidence they’d take it the right way. He knows this squad, and I’m sure he delivered this message in a way that will rally the troops, so to speak.

And the players are resilient. Not only have they been through the gauntlet this season, but they have also seen the way Zidane has fought through adversity and media questions about his competency. They have seen him rise above. But they have also seen the toll it has taken on him. The toll that will lead the living legend to step down once more.

I know the players see this and will use Zidane’s last matches as Real Madrid manager as motivation to give it their all. Real are fighters. Young and old, this squad is full of players who accept nothing less than the best from themselves. They are ready to do Zidane proud one last time with everything on the line.