Which of his former Real Madrid players shocked Zinedine Zidane more than any other?
The former midfielder, who won 17 championships as a player and later served as manager twice for Los Blancos, is unquestionably one of the most well-liked legends in the club’s history.
During his tenure in the Santiago Bernabeu dugout, Zidane oversaw a number of legendary players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale, Vinicius Junior, and Casemiro.
However, he admitted in an interview with Telefoot that Luka Modric was not too far behind Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema as his first choice for a player who gets him out of his seat.
“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.
During Zidane’s first managerial tenure, Benzema primarily served as a supporter for Ronaldo, frequently selflessly setting up the Portuguese attacker. The Frenchman even finished the 2017–18 La Liga season with just five goals in 32 games.
By the time Zidane made his second appearance in Real Madrid in March 2019, Benzema had accepted the responsibility of being the team’s primary goal scorer. In 2022, a year after Zidane left once more, he eventually guided Los Blancos to their 14th Champions League championship.
The 51-year-old, who has been unemployed for the past two years, acknowledged that he misses the routine of managing a football team.
“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.
Zidane responded, when asked if he would work in France for PSG or the national team, “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.”
