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284 days was how long Real Madrid lasted without their mastermind – the man who once again propelled Los Blancos to unimaginable heights, winning silverware and hearts in the process. 284 days they were separated but now, Zinedine Zidane is back and in a blink of an eye, everything is once again well in the Spanish capital – the crisis averted, the fires extinguished and the kings are ready to sit back on the throne once more. But unfortunately, things are not really that simple in football, even though Real Madrid might wish they were.
It is, however, no coincidence that the Galacticos wanted the Frenchman of all people back at the helm. Their little experiments with Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari ended dragging the team ever closer to the abyss and who better to claw them back to where they belong than the legendary Zidane – an icon for Real Madrid from every imaginable point of view; whether it’s with his blades on his feet or in a suit and a tie, it makes little difference – he is the man for the job.
And for Real Madrid, it has to be said, this deal was the only sensible course of action. After all, no one has quite the pedigree and the reputation of the Frenchman. He was crowned the champion of Europe within the first five months of his appointment, took the Spanish crown right in front of Barcelona’s noses and most importantly, clinched the Champions League title three times in a row, writing history along the way and, what might prove to be his own demise right now, setting an unimaginable standard both for his team and himself as a head coach.
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From Zidane’s point of view, however, this appointment makes little if any sense at all. After all, what exactly does he stand to gain from such a mammoth of a task, even in the for now unlikely scenario he somehow steers the sinking ship from the ruins and then over the finish line? Glory? Eternal fame? A place in Real Madrid’s pantheon of icons and legends? Florentino Perez’s and fans’ undying love and appreciation? Maybe, but he already has all of that.
No other Real Madrid manager has achieved what Zidane had done. Nay, no other manager on the planet has achieved what he has, and just for that and his Champions League endeavours, he has reached immortality, at least among the Galacticos. The only thing he can do right now with this appointment is throw it all out of the window.
Yes, he returned because he loves the club and when Perez called, he presumably couldn’t say no. But why did he leave in the first place, then? He knew something was wrong or rather, he knew he squeezed the last possible atom of strength his squad had left and there was nothing more to give – the team was drained and he was drained alongside them. There’s a reason they say you should quit while you’re ahead.
Because, quite frankly, looking ahead right now, Zidane’s Real can only go down and all the Frenchman can do is tarnish his reputation, and tarnish it badly. Similarly, when his counterpart in Pep Guardiola, who has the same reputation at Barcelona, decided to leave, he left because he didn’t have anything else to give. Staying would’ve only hurt the team and his legacy, which is now, partly because he timed his departure almost flawlessly, immortal.
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But Zidane’s legacy was looking to endure the sands of time, just like Guardiola’s has but now, it’s still very much up in the air. The new Real Madrid team looks extremely shaky, to say the least. Zidane’s return had that initial surge but now it’s more and more apparent – they are in a real crisis.
Of course, this is not to say that we’re looking at the end of Real Madrid and the end of their ever-lasting presence in the world of football. No, football clubs, especially the ones of Real Madrid’s size, have a tendency of being quite self-sufficient. There is no way they just disappear due to one difficult spell after years of domination.
Zidane’s reputation and his legacy, however, are more fragile than one might think. He wouldn’t be the first one to go from the would-be saviour to a martyr, and the likes of Arsene Wenger and co. can surely attest to that. People love heroes but one thing they love more than heroes is to see them fall.
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And with Cristiano Ronaldo long gone but never truly replaced, Gareth Bale still not coming to terms with the Frenchman and an ageing core of the squad looking prime for a major overhaul, Zidane is looking at an uphill battle with high risk and low reward waiting at the end. In fact, the only reward waiting at the finish line is retaining his already established reputation at the club. The other side of the coin, however, looks far darker than that.
With his return to Santiago Bernabeu, Zidane now has a mountain of a task of achieving success and domination once again because it is the very same standard that he has set for himself back when he was first appointed. Only this time, he is not playing the game on easy with the best squad in Europe anymore.
Now, the tables have turned and the gritty and gloomy part of rebuilding the squad is on his shoulders. The expectations are high but if the first pre-season clashes were any indication, the team is not really firing on all cylinders.
The clock is already ticking and Real Madrid are playing catch-up. The ball is in Zidane’s courtyard but the fence between him and glory has never been higher.
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