Rumours about Zinedine Zidane leaving Madrid after the end of the season are building up. It has been claimed that Juventus want to hire the Frenchman, who is 'tired' of constant injuries and unfair criticism at Madrid.
Zizou has done a fantastic job for the Whites in his second spell and we would be sorry to see him go. However, if his mind is set on departing, Madrid should start looking for the next coach—and we have come up with several suggestions.
🇮🇹 Max Allegri
The former Juventus boss is a definition of a serial-winning manager. He has guided the Bianchoneri to 5 Serie A titles in 5 seasons, as well as to two Champions League finals.
As recently revealed, Allegri rejected a move to Real Madrid earlier due to personal reasons, but he seems to be ready to return to the dugout now.
🇮🇹 Maurizio Sarri
The chain-smoking tactician turned Napoli into a formidable force in Italy and Europe, all while playing some of the best football we've seen.
His short spells at Chelsea and Juventus were initially considered failures but his successors Lampard and Pirlo delivered significantly worse results, proving that Sarri can manage at the highest level.
If Madrid want a manager that will set up the team to play attacking football, they should go for the 62-year-old.
🇵🇹 Leonardo Jardim
The Portuguese manager led Monaco to a surprise Ligue 1 title back in the 2016–17 season. He also guided them to the Champions League semi-finals, all while playing beautiful and attack-minded football.
While Jardim might be the most fanciful suggestion, he is a dedicated coach who has worked his way up from Portugal's third division to the Champions League.
Another factor is that Jardim is the man who oversaw Kylian Mbappe's breakthrough to the first team.
🇩🇪 Joachim Low
The 61-year-old confirmed his departure from the German national team after the end of this summer's Euros. He will leave the position he has held for 15 years.
There are no doubts about his abilities as a manager, as he won the 2014 World Cup. However, Low has not managed on a day-to-day basis since 2004, when he left Austria Wien.
🇫🇷 Arsene Wenger
Appointing Wenger would come as a surprise for many as the legendary Frenchman has not held a managerial post after leaving Arsenal in 2018. However, he repeatedly stressed that he would like to return to the dugout, and recently revealed he was a Real Madrid fan growing up.
Wenger has a proven record of developing world-class players from promising youngsters, and signing him would guarantee that the likes of Vinicius, Rodrygo, Blanco and Valverde reach their peak at Real Madrid.
🇪🇸 Imanol
The Basque manager greatly improved Real Sociedad's fortunes after taking over in 2018. He guided them to a sixth-placed finish last year, and they are fifth in the table this season.
Imanol also ended La Real's 34-year (!) wait for silverware, defeating rivals Athletic in the Copa del Rey final. He also managed to get Martin Odegaard to play his best football.
Overall, despite his relative lack of experience, Imanol appears to be an extremely talented and promising coach.
🇪🇸 Raul
The legendary striker is currently in charge of Castilla and could follow in Zinedine Zidane's footsteps by taking charge of the first team after managing the reserves.
Raul epitomises the Real Madrid DNA, he is one of the best players in the history of this football club, and will probably manage the Whites sooner or later.
However, whether he is ready to replace Zidane after less than two years of managing Castilla remains a big question mark.
🇮🇹 Antonio Conte
The 51-year-old has just ended Juventus' run of 9 successive Serie A titles with Inter Milan, but his future at the Nerazzurri is in doubt. He has repeatedly publicly clashed with the Inter hierarchy and could push for an exit if Real Madrid come knocking.
Conte is a very controversial coach, with many players complaining about his confrontational personality. However, he boasts a huge trophy-winning pedigree, delivered results with almost every side he coached.
Who do you want to become Madrid manager if Zidane leaves?
