Zinedine Zidane managed Real Madrid across two spells from 2016 to 2021 and has named which of his former players wowed him the most.
Zinedine Zidane has revealed which of his former Real Madrid players astounded him above all others.
The former midfielder is undoubtedly one of the most popular legends in the history of Los Blancos, winning 17 trophies as a player and then two stints as manager.
Zidane managed several iconic players during his time in the Santiago Bernabeu dugout, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale, Vinicius Junior and Casemiro.
But in an interview with Telefoot, he revealed Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema was his top pick for a player that gets him out of his seat, with Luka Modric not too far behind.
“If there is a player who lifts me out of my chair, that is Karim Benzema. Maybe also Luka Modric, players who, when they have the ball, you think they are going to lose it, but no, they always manage to get away with it,” Zidane said.
Benzema was largely a support player for Ronaldo during Zidane’s initial spell as manager, often selflessly teeing up the Portugal forward – the Frenchman even ended the 2017/18 season with just five goals in 32 La Liga games.
By the time Zidane returned for his second spell in March 2019, Benzema had embraced the role as Real Madrid’s go-to goalscorer. He eventually led Los Blancos to their 14th Champions League title in 2022 a year after Zidane left again.
The 51-year-old has been out of work for two years now and admitted he misses the day-to-day life as a football manager.
“Do I miss the adrenaline of training at the highest level? Yes of course. When you’re away, you see it differently. I haven’t had it for two years, but it will come,” he added.
When asked if he would work in France – either for the national team or PSG – Zidane replied: “You can’t deny anything. I know what I want and what I don’t want. If I have decided to take a break, it is because I should have. I hope I can tell myself that soon I will be able to return to training.”