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What's the story?
Real Madrid great Jorge Valdano believes the club should be grateful to Zinedine Zidane for his return, stating that Zidane should have a statue at the Santiago Bernabeu.
In case you didn't know...
Zinedine Zidane announced his departure from Real Madrid after winning three consecutive Champions League with Los Blancos. After more than nine months of turmoil, Zidane returned to take charge of Real Madrid in an unexpected manner.
In those nine months, Los Blancos sacked two coaches due to poor results. The club endured humiliating exits from the Champions League and from the Copa del Rey before Zidane returned to take charge.
It goes without saying that the Spanish giants had a terrible campaign, which is way below their high standards. Zidane's return did not help much as Los Blancos finished third in the league, 19 points behind arch-rivals Barcelona. Since Zidane's return, Los Blancos suffered four defeats in 11 games.
The heart of the matter
Valdano has claimed that Zidane's return is a heroic act, who took charge despite the adversaries in an already poor season.
Speaking in an interview, Valdano said:
"Zidane's return was, for me, almost an heroic act. He knew it was risky, but he did it. The president, and the club, must be very grateful. He should have a statue here at the Santiago Bernabeu, and another in Florentino's garden."
"Just from his presence, the season ended much more peacefully than it could have. When there is no sporting director, it is the coach who must make the decisions."
"The risk he took would be in exchange for having the power to design the squad for next season."
"Now Zidane must put together something new, with new players coming in. We don't know how they will adapt to a new city and the unique nature of this club. That will test him, but if anyone has won the confidence of the club, it is Zidane."
What's next?
Real Madrid are set to bring some reinforcements but the upcoming season will be a real test for Zidane, who enjoyed unprecedented success in his first stint.
