Zidane's five biggest achievements as Real Madrid boss

#3 Seizing La Liga glory

Real Madrid v Real Betis - La Liga

Asked at his farewell press conference what the highlight of his time at Real Madrid was, Zidane was clear: “If there’s one as a coach, it was winning La Liga. For me that was the top.”

Zidane knew exactly how much of an achievement it was lifting Los Blancos back to the top of the pile in Spain. Barcelona have been the specialists in La Liga for several years now, while the additional challenge of Atletico Madrid made life even tougher for a team that had rather lost their way in the competition.

When he took charge of the team, they were floundering in pursuit of Barca, yet 18 months later they were once again the kings of Spain, having failed to win the crown in the previous five years.

Although Zidane’s sides were not necessarily noted for their breath-taking attacking football, they still managed to score an astonishing 106 goals during that campaign, during which they suffered only three defeats.

It was all the more remarkable that they were able to retain their Champions League crown in the process, thanks to a victory over Juventus in Cardiff.

For Zizou, though, the ultimate achievement was the league success. It was proof that he had built a side not just capable of explosive matches of brilliance, but also of sustained quality of the highest order.