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Zinedine Zidane’s surprise decision to exit Real Madrid after leading them to three consecutive Champions League triumphs left the footballing world in absolute disbelief. The world’s press went into an overdrive, trying to pinpoint Zizou’s successor. At top of the list, was Mauricio Pochettino and Massimiliano Allegri but both turned it down.
Madrid altered their course and started looking for a manager in the mould of Zidane - limited experience but knows what Real Madrid means and how the coach of Real Madrid should be. Florentino Perez bulldozed his way and hastily announced Julen Lopetegui as Real Madrid’s new manager.
However, after a string of poor performances and a humiliating 5-1 thrashing at the Camp Nou, Lopetegui was kicked out in what turned out to be a 138-day, 14-game stint in charge of Madrid.
The ‘Madridista’ experiment continued and Perez appointed Argentine Santiago Solari as Lopetegui’s replacement. As a player, Solari won the Champions League, two LaLiga titles, a UEFA Super Cup, the Spanish Super Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup during his five years at the club.
The decision might be good. Probably the three greatest managers of Madrid’s brilliant history have been former players - Miguel Muñoz, Vicente Del Bosque, and Zinedine Zidane. It was a factor considered when appointing a manager to the biggest club in the world.
Prior to this job, Solari was coaching the Spanish club's B team, Castilla. During his two completed seasons in charge, he led them to 11th and eighth in Segunda B, the Spanish third division.
After his appointment, Santiago Solari became the 4th Argentine to manage Los Blancos. Here are the three other Argentine’s who have gone on to manage Los Blancos.
#1 Luis Carniglia, manager 1957-59
Carniglia became a coach for Nice immediately after retiring aged 38 before taking over as manager at Real in 1957. During his three-year spell as coach, Carniglia won consecutive European Cups in 1958 with a 3-2 win over AC Milan and in 1959 with a 2-0 win over Reims. He also won the LaLiga title in 1958.
Madrid at that time had the greatest footballing talent in the world with Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, Hector Rial, and Raymond Kopa. However, after Carniglia left Puskás out of the 1959 European cup final, Madrid bosses dismissed him.
#2 Alfredo Di Stéfano, manager 1982-84, 1990-91
The Argentinian forward took charge of Real twice- his first spell between 1982-84 and his second spell between 1990-91, neither of which were particularly successful, and won just one trophy- the Supercopa de España in 1990.
During his first spell in charge at the Bernabeu, the 1982–83 campaign was a disaster, finishing third in LaLiga, and were defeated finalists in the Supercopa de España, Spanish League Cup, and the Copa del Rey. Di Stéfano lasted 108 games during his first spell and only 21 games in his second spell.
Di Stéfano is best known at Real for his playing exploits. He spent 11 years at the club as a player, after joining from Millionarios of Bogota of the Colombian league. The Argentine played 396 times for Real and scored 308 goals. He won five straight European cups with Real and he also won the Ballon d'Or twice in 1957 and 1959. Perhaps, the greatest ever ‘Madridista’.
#3 Jorge Valdano, manager 1994-96
In charge of the side he had previously represented for four seasons, Valdano led them to the 1994-95 LaLiga title.
Valdano took charge of Tenerife in 1992 before being offered the job as a Madrid's coach in 1994. After crushing Cruyff’s Barcelona 5-0 en route to winning the league, Valdano said, “We didn’t just take the league off Barça, but we took the ball off them,”
Valdano played 112 times for Real, between 1984 and 1987, as a forward, scoring on 40 occasions. He won two league titles, one Copa del Rey. His strikes helped Los Blancos to UEFA Cup glory in 1985 and 1986.
After his short managerial career, the Argentine made his way into the Real Madrid boardroom as club’s sporting director until his resignation in 2011. From player to coach to director, Valdano had seen it all and has already published a number of books since his retirement.
