5 reasons why Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane would never manage PSG

Working with Leonardo Araujo is not something Zidane would like

When Zinedine Zidane was at Real Madrid – particularly during the first tenure – he never once was disrespected by any of the higher-ups publicly, and I don’t think privately, even. Yes, it helped that he is the prodigal son that returned to Real Madrid as a coach during a period of difficulty, but his own abilities and success as a coach played a part in it.

Florentino Perez, the most vocal of the higher-ups at Real Madrid, never disrespected him in his first tenure (we’ll get to the second term later), and has talked about Zinedine Zidane like a father talks about his own son.

Zidane won’t really get any of that at PSG. But, that’s not the important part. He might even have to face the opposite.

Leonardo, the sporting director of PSG, has had rifts with players and managers in the past before, most notably recently as I mentioned, when he talked ill of Mbappe in front of the press. This certainly wasn’t the first time.

If you look at the image above, it’s of Thomas Tuchel and Leonardo. Thomas Tuchel was sacked in the middle of the season back in 2020, mainly because of disagreements over transfer strategies, and that he didn’t feel appreciated when he guided PSG to their first and only Champions League final. The fuel to the fire was added when Tuchel addressed the transfer issues publicly.

Tuchel, before getting sacked, also talked about how it’s really difficult to manage PSG because of being forced to get involved with politics.

Now, Leonardo didn’t really react properly to Tuchel’s public comments about the transfers, either. He talked ill of Tuchel in front of the press and told everyone that he may be sanctioned. This isn’t the first time. Trust me when I say that Leonardo is very difficult to work with.

Obviously, I don’t speak from experience, but the evidence is there to be seen. Would Zidane really want to work with such a director? I really, really doubt it. It’s the power plays that hold a lot of value at PSG, and whether you are doing well or not, you can be gone in a jiffy if Leonardo doesn’t think well of you.