Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has confirmed he will leave the club this summer. The shock announcement comes five days after Real’s Champions League triumph against Liverpool.
In a press conference, where he announced his departure from the club, Zidane said: "I love this club, I love the president. He gave me the opportunity to come as a player and now manager and I am eternally grateful. But we have to change.”
"What I think is that this team needs to continue winning but I think it needs a change, a different voice, another methodology. And that's why I took this decision,” he added.
The Frenchman has decided to walk away after guiding Real Madrid to a historic third consecutive Champions League victory with the most recent, being a 3-1 victory over English team Liverpool on May 27.
Zidane took over the affairs at Real in the beginning (January) of 2016 as a replacement for then manager Rafa Benitez. Zidane had previously been working with the club's Castilla side before his call-up to the main team.
Los Blancos first defeated arch-rivals Atletico Madrid in a Madrid derby to win the first of its three consecutive Champions League titles, on penalties, during Zidane’s first season as manager of Real.
Zidane then went on to win a double the next season by first winning the Spanish League title, then followed it up by beating Juventus convincingly in the Champions League final 4-1. In the process, Real became the first team to win the trophy on consecutive occasions after the trophy was renamed.
He went on to complete the hattrick of European Championships earlier this month.
Zidane, who was under contract with Real Madrid until 2020, gave no inkling of his resignation. However, he has decided to call time on his managerial tenure at the Santiago Bernabeu and in doing so, leaves the club on a high.