Uncertainties are currently trailing the future of Zidane on the hot seat of Real Madrid coaching post due to his highly limited managerial experience.
Zinedine Zidane
Spanish media expressed scepticism Tuesday about the prospects for football hero Zinedine Zidane as Real Madrid coach after his sensational appointment.
All said that Real president Florentino Perez was taking a risk naming the French World Cup “legend” who has no experience running a team of superstars.
Perez announced Monday that the three-time world player of the year would take over from Rafael Benitez, who was sacked after just seven months struggling to win over Madrid’s fans and leading players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos.
“The problem of coaches is like that of melons: until you open them you don’t know if they are sweet or inedible,” wrote the Marca sports daily — the most read in Spain.
“A risky operation albeit with possibilities,” it added in a separate article.
“The Frenchman is a football legend and a great figure of Madrid,” added Marca “But his coaching experience is inversely proportional to his excellent footballer’s experience — limited … and controversial.”
The 43-year-old’s coaching experience has been limited to a season-and-a-half in charge of Madrid’s feeder team Castilla. The team failed to secure promotion from Spanish football’s third tier last season.
El Pais daily also emphasised that Zidane was “a legend without coaching experience.”
Newspapers were nevertheless awed by his superstar status, with his face staring out from the front pages of Spain’s many sports dailies.