Real Madrid: 3 things that can convince Zinedine Zidane to stay

Renew the contract of Sergio Ramos and look to retain Raphael Varane

In 2018, after a successful UEFA Champions League campaign in which RealMadrid won the title for the 13th time overall and for the third time in a row, Zinedine Zidane resigned as the manager of Real Madrid.  A month after Zidane’s exit, the club’s talisman Cristiano Ronaldo left, who had indirectly conveyed his intentions to the public in an interview after the final.

A lot of reports emerged at that time, which also suggested that Zidane’s exit was linked to Cristiano’s exit. Few sources believed that Zidane wanted the club to keep the Portuguese and get rid of Gareth Bale, but the club did the exact reverse. That was said to be one of the reasons behind Zidane’s exit, while the Frenchman insisted that he felt a change was needed at the club.

Fast forward to 2021, there is a similar situation. The club captain Sergio Ramos’ contract is set to expire this summer, with the club and Ramos not coming to an agreement yet. Reportedly there’s a battle of egos going on between the club captain and the club president in the case of the former’s renewal.

Ramos shares a fantastic bond with Zidane, with whom he had also played together. Zidane wouldn’t like to see Ramos leaving the club when he’s still at the top of his game, and Ramos being Real Madrid’s captain only makes his case stronger. This might not be the only factor behind his plan of quitting, but it is common to have disagreements with the board in the case of players.

Another disagreement Zidane might possibly have is in the case of Raphael Varane, who either wants to leave for a new challenge or could even be sold to generate funds to sign Kylian Mbappe.

Zidane might like the idea of Real Madrid signing Mbappe, but not the idea of signing him at the expense of Varane. The 28-year-old French defender is going to enter his prime, and he is one of Zidane’s most trusted players.

These kinds of decisions taken by the board in the case of players may not actually be well received by Zidane, who might be taking the right stand in these cases, valuing things with a sporting vision. So the club giving some value to Zidane’s opinion in the case of players might actually work in the favour of the club and would be a respectful gesture towards Zidane.