Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is reportedly leaving the club after more than a week of rumors indicating this would be a possibility. Word first tricked out from Fabrizio Romano, and now reports are chiming in with more details on Zidane’s decision, as well as the likelihood of Max Allegri or Antonio Conte being his replacement.
There’s an interesting report coming out from COPE’s Manolo Lama on why Zidane is leaving. He tweets that Zidane has not forgiven Florentino Perez for leaking to the media that he would be fired if he did not win the last Champions League group stage match of the 2020-2021 campaign. On top of that, Lama reports that Zidane hasn’t forgiven Perez either for questioning the manager’s decisions in private.
If this report is true, then Zidane has every right to feel this way. It is honestly embarrassing for a president to leak that kind of information and put the manager in a spot like that, when that manager has given more to the club than even the president has. As a player and a manager, Zidane has been the epitome of class for Real Madrid, even winning three straight Champions League titles and then rescuing the team with a LaLiga title in 2019-2020 after the catastrophic 2018-2019 season.
Zidane has gone through so much stress for Real Madrid for the players. For the club. And to be treated like that by the president? That is unforgivable. And if this report is true, Zidane isn’t the only person who should be upset and mistrustful of Perez. So should the fans.
Zinedine Zidane faced too much disrespect in his second stint at Real Madrid
Because what has Perez done for the club lately? Brought along embarrassment due to the European Super League, which could lead to repercussions for the club, and made some ill-advised moves on the transfer market that left Zidane with a squad that lost to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League twice, putting Zizou in that kind of a position.
I am sure that even if this is true, Zidane does not despise Perez, nor did he leave for only this reason. But it could be a piece to the puzzle. If it is, again, I do not blame Zidane. Not one bit. And it is sad that Madridistas have to see him leave a second time.
The media didn’t show respect to Zidane, and he reminded them of it during a press conference this season. And he backed up what he said then. He had Real competing for titles until the very end. Those of us who questioned him quickly regretted it.
However, it seems like Zizou also didn’t get enough respect from Perez, even after all he’s done to cover up the president’s bumbling errors. It’s disgraceful. I don’t want this to be true, but I can believe it. I really can. I can believe that Perez lost sight of the truth in front of him and tried to scapegoat Zidane. It’s one thing for fans to do this. It’s another for a guy who is supposed to keep the club stable to undermine his manager.