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On Wednesday, Zinedine Zidane said, "No mas."

He walks away from the biggest job in world football and the opportunity to become the first manager to win four straight European Cups. And he does it less than four days after leading Real Madrid to their third consecutive Champions League crown.

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Zidane leaves after 3 UCL Titles

Gonna be replaced by Klinsmann and then take the Italy job.

Or be the next USMNT coach.

The GOAT as a player and manager. Whoever RM hires to replace him, I doubt the new manager would not accomplish much in comparison to what Zidane did in a short amount of time.

Craziness, but the pressure/demands of that coaching gig are probably unmatched in any sport across the globe. Hopefully he returns (again) someday.

Hala. Madrid.

Seems like a good offseason to leave if he wants a national team job.

Incoming Arsene Wenger

JJxvi said:

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Seems like a good offseason to leave if he wants a national team job.

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I can't see him getting a national team job unless it's France.

Not shocking but still sad. No one has navigated champions league better.

It's going to be interesting to watch RM navigate this off-season. The new manager will want to bring in some different players I would assume, so who goes out?

Was Bale going to leave if Zidane stayed? I feel like he has a new lease on life now at RM.

Will Benzema still be the top choice striker? Could this mean Lewandowski makes the move to replace Benzema? I would make a move for him if I were Madrid.

Also, when are they going to have to overhaul this team due to the age of its stars? Ramos, Modric, and Ronaldo are all 32+.

Going to be very interesting for sure.

shocking but I get it. the demands of clubs such as RM are up there with being president or Pope IMO...you can see these coaches age from year to year with the stress of meeting the demands of a ravenous fanbase.

cant say I'm sad to see him leave Real tho

Get off reddit

wangus12 said:

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Get off reddit

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Haha crap you got me.

OregonAggie said:

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It's going to be interesting to watch RM navigate this off-season. The new manager will want to bring in some different players I would assume, so who goes out?

Was Bale going to leave if Zidane stayed? I feel like he has a new lease on life now at RM.

Will Benzema still be the top choice striker? Could this mean Lewandowski makes the move to replace Benzema? I would make a move for him if I were Madrid.

Also, when are they going to have to overhaul this team due to the age of its stars? Ramos, Modric, and Ronaldo are all 32+.

Going to be very interesting for sure.

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I think you hit the nail on the head as to why Zidane is leaving now.

It could be the start of a roster overhaul this summer. We're chasing Neymar which likely means less attention for Cristiano, vain as he is, if not a sale. We need to sell Bale while he's in form and healthy. Benzema dropped off a cliff even though he had some clutch plays and goals. He's just too inconsistent and there are rumors about bringing Mariano back from Lyon. You didn't mention Isco who also wants more PT. Modric is getting older so that may open the door for Isco but still.

We also have a keeper situation. We've flirted with Kepa (young Spaniard) and I thought I saw rumors about Alisson at Roma a few weeks ago. Zidane has stuck by Navas and has his kid Luca at #3 on the roster.

That's a lot of personnel to manage and the GK situation is probably ultimately out of his hands.

Tough spot to be in.

You should definitely do that! They'd be super impressed with your cleverness and originality.

And the UCL trophy too no doubt.

Wow! You have it with you?

jeffk said:

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Wow! You have it with you?

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Just the one Ramos dropped under the bus. Got it for a huge discount.

For clarification on my initial coach comment too, Marca claims we've already contacted Pochettino. It wasn't out of left field.

I was torn about making a Monte Python bit related comment about us already having a CL trophy, but figure the odds of it landing were pretty low.

jeffk said:

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I was torn about making a Monte Python bit related comment about us already having a CL trophy, but figure the odds of it landing were pretty low.

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Indeed. You went a different route entirely. After all, nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

AGC said:

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I'm also tempted to drive-by the Liverpool and Tottenham threads with a little 'nice coach you got there, would be a shame if something were to happen to him.'

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As a Liverpool fan, I'm really hoping they go after Pochettino!

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Just the one Ramos dropped under the bus.

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so you're saying Salah was not the first time Ramos threw something to the ground and broke it?


*runs for cover*

What a stud. I imagine he feels similar to Randy Marsh after all that winning:

I don't get the surprise. It's a no-brainer for Zidane to leave now. He's won 3 CLs in a row and even still there was talk that RM might get rid soon. I mean, it's probable that he would have been let go had he not won a 3rd CL. That's insane. The shelf life for Real coach is short and better to get out on an extraordinary high before they fire you. Seriously, not surprised at all by this.

Now, he has his pick of jobs when they become available. I personally think he's waiting for that France job come August or so.

Is France's coach expected to quit or be fired after the WC?

Deschamp signed extension through 2020 but all bets are off if they flame out of WC.

Yeah, national team coaching contracts all might as well come with a huge *DEPENDENT ON WORLD CUP RESULTS* disclaimer at the top.

Eletronic Arts predicted France to win the WC.

akm91 said:

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Deschamp signed extension through 2020 but all bets are off if they flame out of WC.

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Yep. Furthermore, I believe it's virtually unheard of for a coach to go into the WC with his contract ending soon after. If his contract ended in 2018, you're effectively saying you don't have confidence he'll succeed at the WC and you want a way out in which case...he shouldn't be coaching at the WC.

He reportedly has a $50mill PER YEAR offer to coach Qatar's national team

gambochaman said:

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He reportedly has a $50mill PER YEAR offer to coach Qatar's national team

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There it is.

They basically need to back the brinks truck up to every last person that they can so that they don't get embarrassed when they play host.

South Africa was the only host ever to fail to advance out of the group stage, and they at least went down swinging (failed to advance on goal difference). Qatar could be the first team ever to fail to score a goal in the group stage.

gig them said:

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Smith&Co1970 said:

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Eletronic Arts predicted France to win the WC.

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Put differently, France is the most willing to blow their money on in-game micro transactions.

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They probably had to buy a hell of a lot of loot boxes before they got a decent kit: