Reports have been floating around that Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane is looking to resign at the end of this season.
A local radio station said that Zidane had met with his players and told them that he intends to step down but did not give them a specific reason as to why he intends to leave.
Zinedine Zidane stepped down as coach for Real Madrid in 2018 after his first stint but came back and is contracted to be with the Spanish side till 2022.
Zidane disputed these rumours and called them baseless after Real Madrid won their game against Athletic Bilbao 1-0 on May 16.
Zidane claimed that he did not have any meeting with his players that involved him resigning as head coach. He said that he would not share such information with his players and distract them from their goal of winning the league this year. However, Zidane did not deny or confirm that he would be stepping down and said that a decision will be taken only after the season was done.
Defender Nacho Fernandez told the media that the players want Zidane to stay on as coach but at the end of the day it was a decision that the coach would have to make with Real Madrid executives.
Raúl and Allegri Are Favorites
Real Madrid is one of the premier football sides in world football and one of the members of the so-called ‘Super League‘ and there is no shortage of top football coaches who are willing to work with the Spanish giants. The two individuals who have an edge over the rest of the potential applications are Raúl and Massimiliano Allegri.
Raúl has history with Real Madrid as he spent 16 years with the club and finished as the second highest goal scorer in Real Madrid’s history and the player with the most appearances for the club till date. Raúl is currently the manager for Real Madrid Castilla which is the B team for Real Madrid. Eintracht Frankfurt expressed interest in signing Raúl but he hasn’t taken up their offer, saying he prefers to stay and work with Real Madrid.
Massimiliano Allegri is also a front runner for the job. He has not been engaged since moving on from Juventus in 2019 and is widely respected in the industry. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has high regard for Allegri and it could work in his favour.