Zinedine Zidane could become a surprise management alternative for Chelsea following the sacking of Graham Potter. The France legend is certainly not the favourite, with Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique comfortably further in the frame to take over at Stamford Bridge, but Zidane becoming the next manager of the Blues should not be a scenario that is dismissed.
Having won three consecutive Champions League crowns with Real Madrid as a manager, Zidane has come close to emulating his astounding professional career as a player. Zidane, or Zizou as he is known, won countless trophies during his playing days including a European crown at Madrid and a World Cup triumph with France.
Numerous players in the current generation grew up watching Zidane and attempting to model their game around his unbelievable capabilities on a football pitch. With Chelsea stars Thiago Silva, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Cesar Azpilicueta all previously revealed their admiration for the legendary midfielder.
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“I really liked watching Thierry Henry and Zidane, especially Henry in his Arsenal days. Zidane was just so majestic on the ball, relaxed. He oozed class and I loved watching him," Loftus-Cheek said during England's 2018 World Cup campaign.
“I remember France against Brazil in 2006. One of those games I just couldn't believe the class of him. It wasn't a case of studying really, I just liked to watch him play. I'm sure everyone did. Just sit back and watch, you take things in naturally.”
Following his success as a manager in Spain, the country Azpilicueta is from, the Chelsea veteran detailed his impressive managerial accomplishments upon finding out he had left the club after winning the Champions League in 2018.
“It’s the first I’ve heard of it, I’m sure he explained his reasons,” Azpilicueta said when told by reporters in a Spain press conference that Zidane had left. “In the time he has been there he has won three consecutive Champions League, something that no one has ever done.”
While Silva's admiration came from a completely different place: "I'm a fan of how Zinedine Zidane ended his career, right after a World Cup," he told Paris Saint-Germain's official magazine in 2018. "At some point, I will also have to make that decision to stop."
During the peak of his years at Chelsea, N'Golo Kante was a rumoured target of Real Madrid under the stewardship of Zidane. Despite their national allegiances, in 2019 the midfielder insisted his focus was only on one thing.
"Today I'm still at Chelsea and what is said elsewhere is not important," said Kante. "Even if Zidane calls me, It's not important, I'm at Chelsea today and I'm focused on that."
Perhaps the best player to offer a glimpse into Zidane's management style is Mateo Kovacic. Prior to joining Chelsea, Kovacic played under Zidane at Los Blancos, but judging by his comments from an interview in February with FourFourTwo, which included a surprise managerial comparison, the duo did not have the best relationship.
He said: "Zidane was similar to the way Frank Lampard is as a coach, and their approaches really suit me. It was nice to play for Zidane, but I thought he could’ve given me the chance I deserved so that I could play in the third Champions Final.
"That was the main reason behind my disgruntlement, but that’s how football is and we parted ways with no hard feelings."
Although Zidane managing Chelsea could be an exciting thought, it remains unlikely to happen with his stance on managing England seemingly remaining the same. "When people say to me: 'Do you want to go to Manchester?' I understand English but I don't fully master it," he told L'Equipe
"I know that there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work differently. To win, many elements come into play. It's a global context. Me, I know what I need to win."
Speaking to Stadium Astro, Emmanuel Petit furthered Zidane's own reasoning for not managing in England despite the vacancy at Chelsea: "Zidane, he won't come. Definitely. Do you know why? Because he doesn't speak English. That's the truth - because I have known Zidane for ages and the way he manages players, he's very close, he always talks to his players.
"So he wants communication to be a priority. Very important for him, he doesn't want someone to translate everything he has to say publicly."
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