Daily News Directory : Rafael Benítez out as Real Madrid appoints Zidane their new manager

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Rafael Benítez out as Real Madrid appoints Zidane their new manager

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Real Madrid

6 January 2016: Rafael Benítez out as Real Madrid appoints Zidane their new manager
16 December 2015: UEFA Champions League 2015-2016: Draw for Last 16 held at Nyon
23 November 2015: Barça thrashes Real Madrid 4-0 in first El Clásico 2015/2016
19 October 2015: Ronaldo surpasses Raúl's record, becomes Real Madrids' top scorer
20 May 2015: F.C. Barcelona wins La Liga 2014-2015

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Spanish Rafael Benítez was sacked from the manager post of Madrid-based football club Real Madrid on Monday. Zinedine Zidane was appointed coach replacing Benítez.

File photo of Rafael Benítez in 2015.
Image: Богдан Заяц.

Real Madrid, who went trophy-less last season, sacked Italian Carlo Ancelotti and hired former Liverpool manager Benítez for the season 2015–2016. Rafa had previously won the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool F.C., UEFA Super Cup with Valencia C.F., and UEFA Europa League with London-based club Chelsea F.C. But Benítez with Real Madrid had a win percentage of 68%. With a 4–0 defeat in the El Clásico at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and a shocking exit from 2015–16 Copa del Rey for including Russian Denis Cheryshev in the squad who was ineligible to play, Benítez was heavily critised.

Having won only seventeen out of 25 matches with Los Blancos, Benítez's last match for Real Madrid ended in a 2–2 draw to Valencia in an away match on Sunday; they are third in the La Liga table and four points behind the table toppers and local rivals Atlético Madrid.

	I'm going to put my heart and soul into this club
—Zinedine Zidane

File photo of Zinedine Zidane in 2008.
Image: Raphaël Labbé.

Zinedine Zidane is a former Real Madrid legend and coach of Real's reserve team, Real Madrid Castilla. Real's president Florentino Pérez appointed the Frenchman and said Zidane "knows better than anyone just what it means to lead the Real Madrid first-team squad."

Madrid in twelve years of Pérez presidency has had eleven new managers. Zidane, expressing his gratitude to Pérez, said "I'm going to put my heart and soul into this club".

Zidane was assistant manager to Ancelotti when Real Madrid won their tenth European Championship. Back in 2001, Real Madrid payed Turin-based club Juventus F.C. £45.8 million to sign Zidane. Pérez said to Zidane, "This is your stadium and your club and you have all our confidence and trust to make the fans excited once more. It makes me proud because I know that for you the word impossible does not exist."

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