Zinedine Zidane has explained that the reason for his departure from Real Madrid is that the club “no longer has the faith” he needs to succeed, in an open letter to the fans published by AS.
‘Lack of faith’ Is Why Zidane Left Real Madrid
Open Letter
Zinedine Zidane resigned as the manager of Los Blancos for the second time last week after losing out on a third La Liga title on the final day of the season. The Frenchman won La Liga twice and the Champions League three times over his two spells at the club.
During Zidane’s second regime, his ageing squad failed to compete with Europe’s elite. In his open letter to the fans, he explained his frustrations with the club, saying: “I’m going, but I’m not jumping overboard, nor am I tired of coaching. In May 2018, I left because after two and a half years, with so many victories and so many trophies, I felt the team needed a new approach to stay at the very highest level. Right now, things are different.
“I’m leaving because I feel the club no longer has the faith in me I need, nor the support to build something in the medium or long term. I understand football and I know the demands of a club like Real Madrid. I know when you don’t win, you have to leave.
“But with this, a very important thing has been forgotten, everything I built day-to-day has been forgotten, what I brought to my relationships with the players, with the 150 people who work with and around the team.”
Real Madrid’s Treatment of Zinedine Zidane Left Him ‘Hurt’
Zidane also blamed the club for putting pressure on him by feeding the press information of his potential sacking and missing the necessary culture to win major trophies, adding: “I’m a natural-born winner and I was here to win trophies, but even more important than this are the people, their feelings, life itself and I have the sensation these things have not been taken into account, that there has been a failure to understand that these things also keep the dynamics of a great club going. To some extent, I have even been rebuked for it.
“It hurt me so much when I read in the press, after a defeat, that I would be sacked if I didn’t win the next game. It hurt me and the whole team because these deliberately leaked messages to the media negatively influenced the squad, they created doubts and misunderstandings.
“Luckily I had these amazing lads who were with me to the death. When things turned ugly they saved me with magnificent victories. Because they believed in me and knew I believed in them. Of course, I’m not the best coach in the world, but I’m able to give everyone, whether it’s a player, a member of the coaching staff or any employee, the strength and confidence they need in their job.”
Massimiliano Allegri was linked with the vacant role before he returned to Juventus while Antonio Conte has also been mooted as Zidane’s successor at the Bernabeu.
Zidane appears eager to return to management with a club that will allow him to build something in the ‘medium or long term’ and has been linked with clubs like Tottenham Hotspurs and Paris Saint Germain.
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