May 31 was the day Zinedine Zidane announced to the world that he would no longer be in charge of Real Madrid. After guiding the club to a record third straight Champions League title, the Frenchman shocked everyone by resigning as manager.
That decision broke the hearts of many, as he was loved and respected in Madrid. However, according to Marca, the World Cup winner could have walked away from Santiago Bernabeu way earlier.
The Spanish publication writes that Zizou made up his mind on leaving Real Madrid midway through the 2017/18 season. Los Blancos may have been crowned as the European champion for a third year running, but they began the season poorly and struggled domestically throughout the campaign.
One of their biggest humiliations last term, if not the biggest, was their Copa del Rey exit at the hands of Leganes. These two sides crossed paths in January of this year, with Los Pepineros winning 2-1 at Santiago Bernabeu to dump the Spanish giant out of the competition.
It was at this point that Zidane initially decided to leave. The Frenchman informed the club that he had no more strength to remain in this high-demanding job, but Florentino Perez and Jose Angel Sanchez stepped in and convinced the 46-year-old to reverse his decision in February.
He stayed on and made history in the Champions League a few months later. Zidane soon left despite the club's efforts to keep him, with Julen Lopetegui being named as his successor soon afterward.
The new boss has had an indifferent beginning to his Real Madrid reign. They sit second in the table, behind Barcelona on goal difference, but have suffered embarrassing defeats to Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup and Sevilla in La Liga.
Bale and Co. will lock horns with Simeone's men once more on Saturday, The Merengues will have only one goal heading into this tie: win in order to bounce back from their midweek loss.
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