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According to reports, Zinedine Zidane has stepped down as manager of Real Madrid, just days after helping them to their third successive Champions League title in as many years. Their 13th overall in the competition's history.
Zidane took over at Real in January 2016 as Rafa Benitez's replacement after working with the club's Castilla side. Los Blancos defeated Atletico Madrid on penalties to win the Champions League that season before beating Juventus last year and Liverpool on Saturday.
Zidane, who was under contract until 2020 in Madrid, offered little suggestion he would walk away after the 3-1 victory in Kiev but he has decided the time is right to leave the Bernabeu.
With the maestro all set to pack his bags and leave the Spanish capital, we look at 3 possible destinations that the legendary player and manager could end up at next:
#3 Chelsea
One of the biggest clubs in the toughest league in the world is also not completely in love with the idea of their current manager. That West London Club is Chelsea and that manager is Antonio Conte.
After a fairly morbid campaign for the blues, the rumour mills have gone into overdrive stating that the manager doesn't feel like he has the full backing of the management at Stamford Bridge, with Roman Abramovich in the hunt for a new manager.
And boy does Zidane's announcement come at the right moment for the Premier League club. Chelsea are one of the biggest spenders in England and have shown, time and again, that they are willing to spend the big bucks to land the big men. And they don't come much bigger than 3-time Champions League winner.
Plus, the added advantage of probably convincing their marquee player, Eden Hazard, to stay put is one that surely must entice the Russian billionaire considering the Belgian has publicly stated his preference to work with the Frenchman
#2 Juventus
Zinedine Zidane is a world-class talent, but he is an even more outstanding human being who strongly believes in the values and principles he has displayed on the field, bar that moment of madness in the World Cup final in 2006.
He advocates and exemplifies loyalty. After succeeding with Real Madrid as a player, he went on to put in a lot of work as an assistant manager and was also in charge of the youth system in Madrid before going on to create history with the hat-trick of Champions League titles.
Having announced his departure from Los Blancos, he could well want to head to his other spirit home in Turin with Juventus. The son of Algerian immigrants, he became the world's most expensive player following his transfer from Juventus to Real Madrid for a $64.5 million transfer fee.
A stellar stint in his former club with Madrid is all the more reason to believe that he will be able to replicate the success in Italy as well. With Allegri always the subject of interest from other clubs, we wouldn't betagainst the Frenchman re-uniting with the club where his phenomenal career got a jump-start.
#1 France
Arguably one of the greatest players in the history of the French national side, Zidane has successfully helped his national side to the biggest prize in the game - the World Cup in 1998. He then went on to captain the side in the World Cup in 2006, on the way to the final, where a momentary lapse of judgement cost him a second title.
Didier Deschamps has been in charge of the French national side for some time now and has failed to land any major trophies during his time as head coach after leaving PSG. He has also come under a lot of pressure, rightly so, from various quarters.
The press has been quick to point out that his tactics, of asking Pogba to sit in midfield despite having the likes of Sissokho, Matuidi and Kante in the squad who are better suited to the task or leaving behind the most prolific goal-scorer in his ranks in Karim Benzema owing to personal bust-ups with the player. Even Adrian Rabiot refused to be on the standby list after failing to make it to the final-23 and implied that the manager had a lot to do with it.
Taking all this into consideration, we feel that Zidane should take up the challenge of leading the relatively young national side of France and reclaim what was taken away from him back in 2006. Another World Cup title. Albeit as manager. Plus the stature of the man will clip the wings of any player who thinks he is too big for the team of the federation, as has been the case with so many players, for so many years.
What do you make of the list? Where do you think Zidane is headed? Have your say in the comments section.
