Zinédine Zidane has announced that he is stepping aside as coach of Real Madrid a matter of days after steering the club to an unprecedented third successive UEFA Champions League triumph.
“I think it’s the moment, both for me, the team and the club [to stand down],” the 45-year-old told an impromptu press conference at Madrid’s training ground. “It’s a strange moment to do so, I know, but an important one too. I had to do this for everyone.”
Zidane’s place among the greats
Hired in January 2016 after a spell in charge of the Real Madrid B team, Zidane became the first coach to win the European Cup in thr…