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Zinedine Zidane has reportedly informed the Real Madrid board that he wants to leave at the end of the season. It is also claimed the Real Madrid manager told the dressing room that he will not be staying beyond the end of the season following their 2-2 draw against Sevilla last week.
Physical and mental fatigue from managing a club of Real Madrid's stature has been mentioned as the possible reasons behind Zizou deciding to call it quits.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid still have an outside chance of winning the La Liga title as they sit second in the table, two points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid with two matches remaining in the season.
Real Madrid are lining up potential replacements for Zinedine Zidane
Zidane calling it quits leaves Florentino Perez and co. with a huge decision to make over the summer. With several high-profile players available in the market, they will need to make the right choice, keeping the long-term future of the club in mind.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five potential replacements for Zinedine Zidane.
#5 Hans Dieter-Flick
Hans Dieter-Flick is set to leave Bayern Munich after two stellar seasons in charge. Bayern Munich have already announced that Julian Nagelsmann will take over as the new manager in the summer, making continental treble winner Flick one of the most sought-after out-of-job managers in the world.
As per reports, Flick is first in line to replace Joachim Low as the manager of the German national team. Diario AS claim that Barcelona have made contact with Flick as they view him as a potential replacement for Ronald Koeman. Juventus have also been linked with the Bayern Munich manager.
Flick has proven to be an excellent coach guiding Bayern Munich to a continental treble in his first season in charge and has improved several players in his short stint as well. He'd be a great replacement for Zidane but he's most likely to end up as the coach of the German national team.
#4 Carlo Ancelotti
The Mirror claims that Real Madrid have identified Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti as a potential replacement for Zinedine Zidane. Carlo Ancelotti had already managed Real Madrid between 2013 and 2015 and his ideas were key to bringing out the best in Angel Di Maria in Real Madrid's UEFA Champions League winning campaign in 2014-15.
Ancelotti is highly regarded in the Spanish capital as he was the manager who guided them to La Decima, Real Madrid's 10th UEFA Champions League title. He also won the Copa Del Rey, FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup with Real Madrid and managed Bayern Munich as well before joining Everton.
However, it remains to be seen if Ancelotti would be willing to drop his Everton project in its nascent stages and make a return to Real Madrid.
#3 Joachim Low
Joachim Low is yet another high-profile candidate who is reportedly on Real Madrid's shortlist. But it comes as a bit of a surprise as even though Joachim Low has proved his mettle on the big stage, his best days seem to be behind him. He has looked a bit bereft of ideas and the German national team has struggled in recent times.
Low is set to resign as the coach of the German international team at the end of the Euros. Low has also hinted that he is interested in the Real Madrid job. He told ZDF TV via ESPN, towards the end of March:
"I'll hopefully see out my contract, but my race as a national team coach is almost run, and you must start making plans at some point. I'd be interested in coaching at club level. I don't plan on retiring. It would be abroad. I don't think it'll be in Germany. [Real are] a club which is interesting for every coach, right?"
But Low's last stint in club management was with Rapid Wien in Austria in the 2003-04 season and it would be a bit of a risk from Real Madrid's side to go for him ahead of the other candidates.
#2 Raul Gonzalez
Raul is a Real Madrid legend and while it would be a risky move to hand the youth team's coach the role of the main man at the club, it will undoubtedly be welcomed by the Santiago Bernabeu faithful. Just like Zinedine Zidane, Raul learned the ropes of management during his time with the Real Madrid youth system.
He has done an incredible job too, winning the UEFA Youth Cup and almost winning promotion with the Real Madrid Castilla side despite losing key players to the senior squad.
Raul has been crucial to the development and promotion of a lot of young talent in the youth system, with Miguel Gutierrez, Antonio Blanco and Sergio Arribas in particular looking worthy of staking a claim on a spot in the senior side in the near future.
There are no candidates on the list who understand the club and its philosophy better than Raul and given how he has already proven to be a good coach, it might be a risk worth taking.
#1 Massimiliano Allegri
In Massimiliano Allegri, Real Madrid have perhaps their most ideal candidate. Allegri has been on a hiatus ever since pulling the shutters on a successful stint with Juventus in 2019.
Allegri is a fantastic coach and had transformed Juventus into one of the most entertaining teams, even beating Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in the 2014-15 season.
Allegri guided Juventus to two UEFA Champions League finals but lost both of them and this led him to believe that he had taken the club as far as he could.
The Italian coach builds his side around a strong defense and his teams have a distinct and cohesive style of play. He was able to bring the best out of all the midfielders he worked with at Juventus and at Real Madrid, he will have some of the best in the world at his disposal.
If the Real Madrid board are willing to back Allegri in the market and trust the process, he might just be the best choice they have got.
