Zinedine Zidane explains Real Madrid departure

Four days after Zinedine Zidane announced he was leaving Real Madrid, the former manager has penned an open letter in Diario AS outlining the reasons why he chose to leave.

For those aware of what Madrid went through this season and their future outlook, Zidane’ reasons are not that surprising.

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"“I leave, but I’m not jumping off the ship and I’m not tired of managing,” Zidane said. “In May of 2018 I left because after two-and-a-half years with a lot of victories and trophies I felt the team needed to go in another direction in order to stay at the top. Today things are different.“I leave because I feel the club does not give me the confidence I need, they do not give me the support to build something in the medium or long term.”Source: Diario AS"

When he left in 2018, as he mentioned, he did so because he believed the squad needed to be refreshed. When it became clear that it wasn’t, he knew he needed to leave.

He came back, after both Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari were fired, to a club who had not changed much during the time he was gone. But he returned because he felt he needed to.

This season, however, it became all too evident that they were paying the price for failing to replace an aging squad.

While Real Madrid were ravaged with injuries, they were far from the team they used to be even if they did manage to take Atletico Madrid all the way to the final game of the season to decide the LaLiga title.

Zidane was still relying too heavily on the old guard. To his credit, it worked to an extent. Still, it was not enough to compete domestically or in the Champions League as they were ousted, quite comfortably, by the eventual winners, Chelsea.

The relationship between Zidane and the Real Madrid president was strained.

In his letter, Zidane also mentions that he wished the relationship between him and Florentino Perez was better during the final months. That lack of relationship ultimately played a hand in his decision.

"“I would have liked that in the final months my relationship with the club and president would have been different than with previous managers,” Zidane said. “I didn’t ask for privileges, of course not, but a little bit more memory.”Source: Diario AS"

Zidane also spoke about how it hurt him to read after a loss that his job was in jeopardy and the team needed to win the next game in order for him to continue. He said the leaks only served to cause a distraction for the team.

While he did not mention it, it also could not have helped when he was left on his own by Perez to answer questions about the failed European Super League. Instead of focusing on the upcoming fixture, he was left as the club spokesman for a project he had no say in.

He made it clear that out of everything, it was the lack of ambition in the sporting project that led him to step away.

There is some uncertainty surrounding Real Madrid despite already signing David Alaba. Zidane is well aware of the changes the club needs to make but whether or not they are made is another thing entirely.

Perez has been reluctant to make any big summer signings the last three or so years. Now, in addition to needing to sing players, he also needs to sign a new manager. He’s going to need to do a better job in finding a replacement than he did the first time Zidane left.