Zidane pledges to restore Madrid’s attacking prowess

“I’m more excited now than I was when I signed as a player. He became an assistant manager first, then he became the coach of the second team (Castilla) for two years”, Houllier told AFP.

Real Madrid are now third in La Liga, four points behind leaders Atletico Madrid. He served under Ancelotti during the Champions League title run in 2014, and he knows most of the current squad.

There were also widespread media reports that the coach did not get on with some of the players while disgruntled fans have been whistling Benitez at the Bernabeu in recent months.

“I’m sad for Rafa because I thought he was doing a decent job at Madrid”, he said.

Zidane has promised to promote an “attractive, but balanced” style, and said that he will maintain the trio of strikers formed by Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema.

“Zidane has come [in as manager] because he was here”.

Captain Sergio Ramos wasn’t able to train with his team-mates, though, due to an injury problem.

Moreover, unlike Benitez, Zidane is at least sure to have the respect of Madrid’s star-studded dressing room, who constantly clashed with the former Liverpool and Chelsea manager. He also showed no hard feelings for his replacement in an open letter on his personal website.

“I wish him the best of luck”. Zidane is not known for his communication skills and had a fiery temperament on the field as a player. “But it’s not going to be a walk in the park for him. Anyhow, without being ironic, I wish him (…) good luck”.

The 26-year-old endured a hard 2014/15 season in Madrid, but helped the club to win a 10 European Cup in his debut campaign.

Real Madrid made a stunning enquiry for Pep Guardiola despite his Barcelona connections, it has been claimed. He called Zidane “the best person for the job”.

Real president Florentino Perez has always prioritised big-name signings to boost the club brand rather than looking at making a unified team to finally end Barcelona’s monopoly in La Liga.

He still has three years left on his contract, however, and may be reluctant to move or disrupt any preparation to Wales’ first worldwide tournament in several generations, this summer.