Real Madrid: Debunking the 5 biggest myths about Zinedine Zidane as a manager

4. Zidane is biased towards French players

Managers are often accused of being favourable towards their compatriots and there has always been an argument that Zidane is heavily biased towards French players. Even when he was at Real Madrid, many French names were linked to the club. But this criticism of Zidane is very harsh, to be honest, and to call it ‘bias’ just makes it another myth.

If we have a look at the French players Zidane had managed at Real Madrid, it’s easy to say that everyone deserved their place. Raphael Varane was always among the best in his position, and he would walk into the starting XI of any club. Pundits were sceptical of Ferland Mendy when he was signed by Zidane for 48 million euros, but his performances speak for themselves, and his arrival made the left flank of Real Madrid rock solid.

One French player with whom Zidane has a strong relationship is Karim Benzema, and this relationship has been used to criticise Zidane, especially when Benzema wasn’t at his best in the 2017/18 season. There were rumours of Real Madrid looking at the options of Mauro Icardi and Harry Kane to replace Benzema, but Zidane had always backed Karim, and one can see how beneficial that decision from Zidane has been for the club.

Zidane did rely on French players, but he relied on them for a reason and there was never any bias. Even the players he targeted, like Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba, are one of the best in their positions, and the teenager Eduardo Camavinga, who was once Zidane’s target, is already proving himself with the Merengues. Instead of focusing on their nationality, one can focus on the fact that France is currently the best manufacturer of footballing prodigies.