Zidane suddenly announced his resignation as Real Madrid coach

Coach Zidane and President Perez at the press conference. Photo: Reuters

The football world was shocked on the afternoon of May 31 when coach Zinedine Zidane announced his departure from Real Madrid. The French coach believes that Real Madrid needs to change to continue winning and is temporarily not looking for a new job. Before the press conference, coach Zidane announced this news to the players by text message. Real Madrid has temporarily not commented on the position coach Zidane left.

Opening the press conference, President Perez said: "Thank you everyone for coming. Next, Zinedine Zidane will speak but yesterday, he informed me of his sudden decision to leave the team."

Zidane continued: "I spoke to explain to him what I was thinking. What I think now is that Real Madrid needs to continue winning but I think the team needs a change, a new voice, a new method and that's why I came to this decision."

At this point, President Perez added: "I had absolutely no idea about this and today is a sad day for the team, for everyone who works at Real Madrid. When Zidane said he had made his decision, we had to accept it. I also tried to convince him. I also remember the time I went to Zidane's house to invite him to coach Real Madrid and at that time he was completely convinced that he would win many tournaments."

Next, coach Zinedine Zidane thanked the fans and expressed gratitude to Real Madrid for trusting and creating favorable working conditions for him during the past time.

Zidane then reaffirmed his decision: "This decision may be wrong, but after three years, this is the time to do this. If I don't see clearly how Real Madrid will win in the future, or how much I want to win, then it's time to change, to not continue together."

The biggest question after hearing the news of Zidane leaving Real Madrid is where his next destination will be. The question was raised in the press room.

The 45-year-old French coach said: "Immediately I will not lead any team. I am not looking for a new destination. I have sent this message to the whole team and talked to captain Ramos. As a friend and captain of Real Madrid, he respects my decision. He wished me luck. Ramos is a leader, a captain and it was a pleasure to work with Ramos for three years."

Coach Zidane was repeatedly asked about this sudden decision. One of them was, was it because he was bored with coaching?

In this regard, coach Zidane made it very clear that he needed to change, and needed to find new ways to win.

Zidane replied: "I'm not bored with coaching. After three years of coaching, I think it's time for a change. It's not just a matter of staying or leaving. I think it will be very difficult for me to find more victories if I stay."

"This is a good decision for everyone. First for me, then for the team. Change is necessary for the team to continue winning. My decision is nothing more than serving this. It is difficult to continue to hold the throne, after three Champions League titles. I am a winner. I hate losing. If I feel like I can no longer win, I will change."

The final question Zidane answered at the press conference was whether he would leave Real Madrid if he lost to Liverpool in the Champions League final. Zidane said: "I don't know. But maybe."

In January 2016, coach Zidane replaced Rafael Benitez, leading Real Madrid amid much controversy. Under Zidane's leadership, Real Madrid achieved great success, winning La Liga and most importantly becoming the first team to successfully defend the Champions League title, and then extending the achievement, winning the tournament three times in a row.

President Perez's bewildered expression at the press conference. Photo: Reuters

Before that, the Spanish press and the whole world were surprised when Zidane announced the press conference, Real Madrid said absolutely nothing. According to the Independent, the atmosphere before the press conference was extremely tense and everyone was silent.

The press only knew that on the morning of May 31, Zidane and President Perez had a long talk and speculated that the press conference was about the future of the French coach. Just a few minutes before Zidane officially announced, a source from Real Madrid leaked to the press that coach Zidane was leaving.