Real Madrid assistant manager Zinedine Zidane has said he could never have done the same role when Jose Mourinho was in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu because the pair did not have a strong enough relationship.
The France and Los Blancos legend, now 41, became assistant to Carlo Ancelotti when the Italian arrived in the summer and works alongside Englishman Paul Clement. And Zidane says the trio work well together in the dug out and preparing the team for their matches.
Zidane previously held the role of sporting director when Mourinho was in charge at the La Liga giants.
Speaking to Canal+, Zidane stated: “With [Carlo] Ancelotti, it’s all happened quite naturally. I spoke with him by phone a few days before he joined and we sorted everything out. That was a good moment for me, for him and for the club.
“I wouldn’t have been able to take on that role with a coach I didn’t know. I could never have been Mourinho’s assistant for example. And besides, he already had an assistant. It wouldn’t have been right to take on the job of being his right-hand man.”
The Portuguese boss, now back at Chelsea, was at Madrid for three years. Despite winning La Liga once and the Copa del Rey, he failed to lead the club to their coveted tenth Champions League title. His last year in particular was a volatile one in which there was much infighting at the club and he fell out with a number of senior players.
