‘They no longer have faith in me’ — Zidane explains why he left Real Madrid

Zinedine Zidane says he resigned from his position as Real Madrid manager because he no longer felt he had the confidence of the club.

Last Thursday, the Frenchman confirmed his decision to put an end to his second spell at the club, just a week after Real Madrid lost the La Liga title to Atletico Madrid, and ended the season trophyless for the first time in over a decade.

Real Madrid then announced his exit in a statement on their website, waxing lyrical about the manager.

“It is now time to respect his decision and show him our appreciation for his professionalism, dedication and passion in all these years, and for what his figure represents for Real Madrid,” the statement had read.

“Zidane is one of the great myths of Real Madrid and his legend goes beyond what he has been as a coach and player of our club. He knows that he is at the heart of Real Madrid and that Real Madrid is and will always be his home.”

Zidane has finally revealed the reason that informed his decision to exit the club once again.

He let it all out in an open letter he wrote to the club’s fanbase on Monday.

The Frenchman complained about deliberate media leaks from some members of the board and how it affected his team’s performances.

“When, in March 2019, I accepted the offer to return to Real Madrid after a break of eight months it was, of course, because President Florentino Pérez asked me, but also because all of you asked me every day to do so,” he said.

“I have now decided to leave and I want to properly explain the reasons. I’m going, but I’m not jumping overboard, nor am I tired of coaching. In May 2018 I left because after two and a half years, with so many victories and so many trophies, I felt the team needed a new approach to stay at the very highest level. Right now, things are different. I’m leaving because I feel the club no longer has the faith in me I need, nor the support to build something in the medium or long term.

“I want there to be respected for what we have achieved together. I would have liked my relationship with the club and the president over the past few months to have been a little different to that of other coaches. I wasn’t asking for privileges, of course not, just a little more recollection. These days the life of a coach in the dugout at a big club is two seasons, a little more.

“For it to last longer human relationships are essential, they are more important than money, more important than fame, more important than everything. They need to be nurtured. That’s why it hurt me so much when I read in the press, after a defeat, that I would be sacked if I didn’t win the next game. It hurt me and the whole team because these deliberately leaked messages to the media negatively influenced the squad, they created doubts and misunderstandings.”

Zidane added that journalists should desist from stoking controversies and stick to strictly football reporting.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to send a message to the journalists. I’ve given hundreds of press conferences and unfortunately, we have spoken very little of football, though I know that you love football, this sport that brings us together,” he said.

“However, and without any desire to criticise or lecture, I would have liked the questions not to have always been about the controversy, that we might have talked more often about the game and above all the players, who are and always will be the most important thing in this sport. Let’s not forget about football, let’s care for it.”