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Zidane Returns to Real Madrid as Head Coach – Report

The famous coach and player is making a comeback after just nine months of absence.
Sputnik

Zinedine Zidane, the famous French football coach and former player, has returned to Real Madrid as a manager after less than a year of self-imposed absence, CNN reports.

Zidane will replace his former teammate Santiago Solari, who was appointed the team coach after Julen Lopetegui was dismissed due to a poor run in October.

"The Board of Directors has named Zinedine Zidane as the new trainer of Real Madrid effective immediately for the rest of the season and until June 30th 2022," the football club said in a statement.

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Zidane initially took over as Real Madrid coach in January 2016 and managed to win the Champions League later that season. He won two more European titles in the following years before abruptly leaving the club, saying it needed a "different voice."

"What I think is that this team needs to continue winning, but I think it needs a change, a different voice, another methodology," he said during his resignation press conference last year.

No other team had won three Champions League titles or European Cups in succession since Bayern Munich's victory spree between 1973 and 1975, CNN reports.

Zidane lost just 16 times in his 149 games in charge, CNN reports, adding that the famous player averaged one trophy every 16 games, winning two FIFA Club World Cups, two UEFA Super Cups, a La Liga title and a Spanish Super Cup alongside the Champions League crowns.

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