Zinedine Zidane not only wowed fans with his football skills but also inspired an entire generation of players with his mental tenacity
PASSIONATE, INSPIRATIONAL, LEADER, GENERAL, commander, a proud father, a philanthropist, and most of all a coach who would defend his players till his last breath. He was the best thing to come out of France, after Bridgitte Bardot and champagne, of course! He is Zinedine Zidane. He would walk into any team and stake claim. The sound of his steps while entering the Real Madrid dressing room would signal the players that ‘His Majesty’ had arrived.
January 4, 2016 was an important date in the history of Real Madrid Club de Futbol. The club’s official Twitter handle put to rest all speculation. It was Zidane who would be unveiled as the new Real Madrid coach. Zizou—as he is fondly called—took over the shambles of the Los Blancos from Rafa Benitez in the middle of the 2015-2016 season.
A lot of questions were raised on Zidane’s appointment as coach. The biggest of them all was: Would Zidane be half as good a coach as he was a player? Would he be able to handle the egos of individuals like Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos or Gareth Bale? Would the players listen to him?
AS A PLAYER, Zidane had won everything that was on offer. The World Cup, European Championship, Champions League, domestic titles and the Ballon d’Or. It was time he won everything as a coach, too. He was the ‘Man Friday’ for the then coach Carlo Ancelotti, when they won the La Decima in 2014. He was given the reins of the Real Madrid ‘B’ team from 2014-16.
Not to mention, the Frenchman had turned the theory “Great footballers cannot be great coaches” on its head by the time he resigned from his role at Real.
Esta historia es de la edición July - August 2018 de Sports Illustrated India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición July - August 2018 de Sports Illustrated India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Hockey World Cup- India Gears Up For Glory
Hosts India will have to play out of their skins to win their second Hockey Men’s World Cup title.
The Drive For Consistency
Find something you love doing and use that to fall in love with your body, so you can embrace change and sustain a pattern that lets you unlock the best version of yourself
The Phenomenon
Kevin Pietersen may have retired from playing, but he will remain a part of the game and Test cricket folklore for a long time
Powering The Action
The IPL is intense. Players let off the fireworks on the pitch, but it is the coaches and support staff that light the fuses. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED traces the evolution of this critical aspect of the game, and why Indians still need to make a mark
A Steep Learning Curve
Making the transition from the junior level to the senior team has been quite challenging but a hugely rewarding experience.
Scorecard - Don't Blame It on Rio
Apathy towards the Olympics could cast golf in a negative light and jeo paradise its standing with the IOC for the 2024 Games and beyond.
Bench Strength
With the Likes of Nair, Yadav, Jadhav and Chahal Performing With Maturity Over the Past Year, Team India’s Bench Strength Looks Strong Ahead of the Champions Trophy.
Sir Roger Bannister (1929-2018)
A legend in his own time, Sir Roger was most proud of his neurology research but his historic sub-four mile run in 1954 is still regarded as one of his best breakthroughs
Battle Ready
A star-studded Indian contingent seeks to reshape its approach with rising talent, even as seasoned warriors in badminton, weight-lifting, shooting and wrestling aim for gold
Safe Passage
The Dustup That Marred the Return of Chris Paul to L.a. Has Faded. As the Point God Settles Into a New Home, He Has a New Running Buddy and a Group of Teammates Who Feel Like a Family
