Who Will Replace Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid?

David Manyun
May 27, 2021

Real Madrid failed to win the 2020/2021 La Liga domestic title, as rivals Athletic Madrid claimed the trophy during the final matchday of the season. In addition, they lost their hopes of Champions League glory when Chelsea knocked them out during the semi-finals.

Following this year’s disappointment, coach Zinedine Zidane has resigned from his position for the second time in his managerial career. We first witnessed Zidane retire back in 2018; now, three years on, he has decided to leave Madrid to aid the revamp that is so drastically required.

The next move for Florentino Perez is to hire a reputable replacement. Of course, Madrid has been scouting several coaches across the previous months, but their number one choice has been compromised up by Juventus.

Former Juventus boss, Massimiliano Allegri, was not only the bookmaker’s favourite to enter Real Madrid’s training grounds but was also the fans favourite too. However, recent news has revealed his former club of Juventus wants to reappoint the masterful tactician to his previous role. During five seasons at the Old Lady, the Italian won 11 trophies, including four domestic doubles, a league title, and two Champions League finals. With no surprise, Juventus have fought hard for his return, and his odds-on chances to be appointed by Madrid have dropped significantly.

Real Madrid has been struck with a heavy schedule, a plethora of injuries, and an exhausting 2021 season in general. The squad are undoubtedly in need of a rebirth. Still, Zidane refuses to make the necessary decisions that would affect the first-team players who have assisted him in winning domestic and European titles – and for this reason, his resignation was imminent.

So, the question remains, who has the best chance of becoming Real Madrid’s next manager?

Antonio Conte

Inter Milan’s recently departed coach has shot into sportsbooks favorite to be next in line at Real Madrid. Although Conte’s success at Inter Milan has been prominent this season, his relationship with the club owners has been hostile. Conte is one of the most prosperous coaches in all of soccer, and he notably led Inter Milan to their first Serie A title in 11 years this term.

Rumor has it that Inters financial problems drove the relationship between themselves and Conte to the point of no return, and now the Italian coach is on the market.

A move to the Spanish capital is highly possible, especially considering Madrid already had its sights set on the former midfielder.

Raul Gonzalez

If anyone could slide right into the Madrid coaching position and feel at home, it would be the reserve manager of Madrid’s Castilla squad: Raul.

Like Zidane, Raul would be all too familiar with the club after coaching the under-19 squad into a great success. The former Madrid striker has overseen Castilla since 2019, guiding them to the UEFA Youth League title last year. Youth players devolved by Raul have already joined the Madrid first team, such as Marvin Park, Miguel Guttierrez, Victor Chust, and Antonio Blanco, to name a few.

An internal appointment would make life easy for Madrid, and we do not doubt that fans would accept Raul. During his time as a Real Madrid frontman, he scored 323 goals, claimed 16 trophies, six La Liga titles, and three UEFA Champions League victories.

Bookmakers have Raul as the second favorite to join Real Madrid at odds of +400.

Joachim Low

Germanys international squad manager Joachim Lowe has had his name float around the rumor mill. A World Cup winner in 2014 would indeed be fitting for the job, although his valued skillset has dropped in recent years due to inconsistent international results. A six-goal deficit during the Nations League cost Low his managerial position in Germany, as Hansi Flick will fill his shoes this summer.

Low is the least likely to become Madrid manager from our list; bookmakers are pricing him at +1400 to take the position.