Zinedine Zidane’s Last Move

To the people, bread and circuses. Truth is that throughout centuries on the face of a crisis regardless of its nature, creating a distraction or deviating the attention toward another thing has always been a smart move.  

We reach today and more than half of the world turned their heads toward the return of the "magician" Zinedine Zidane to lead Real Madrid, just at a moment when the club undergoes one of its darkest periods. We are speaking of a 12-point difference to leader Barcelona in the Spanish League, besides early dismissals from the UEFA Champions League and the Copa del Rey.  

But we also speak of 12 million Euros per season plus bonuses upon reaching objectives during the year.  

From my perspective another clever move from Florentino Pérez, when stanch fans of Real Madrid, always thirsty of watching their club delight in the sublime universal arena, the press, even interests of other natures that always hover the most famous club in the world became convulsively against them.  

We speak of the French star who pulling the strings of Real Madrid in 149 games accumulated 104 wins, three Champion Leagues in a row, one La Liga Championship, two FIFA Club World Cups, a Spanish Super Cup, and two UEFA Super Cups. An outstanding record sheet.  

Now, regardless starting on the right foot Zizou after beating Real Madrid 2-0 to Celta de Vigo, a déjà vu since he started coaching Real Madrid in his first stage on January 9^th, 2016 with a bulk score at the Bernabéu against Deportivo la Coruña (5-0), and last Saturday, in his return, his team won over Celta de Vigo 2-0, both teams are Galician.

Since then, despite 1.162 days later, eight players in his line-up repeated: Keylor Navas, Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo, Kroos, Modric, Isco, Bale, Ronaldo and Benzema. All that sounds harmonic, even worthy of praise, but there is a strong variable that blows up right in front of our faces in this second turn of the saga: money.  

I am almost certain that even when the French coach makes real along with Florentino and the Club Board of Directors some of the five deluxe signing he’s prepared beforehand (Paul Pogba, Lucas Hernández, Kylian Mbappé, Sadio Mané and Eden Hazard), it will be very hard to rival the list achievements he won in his first stage coaching the merengues.  

Zidane decided to terminate his contract with the club while he was at his best, and now he takes back the reigns almost 290 days later, in a state of total darkness.  

However, beyond the delay, and challenges as coach, nostalgia for the club and the adrenaline that pumps stepping onto the turf of the Santiago Bernabéu, the field that immortalized him, it was for Zidane extremely attractive amount that Florentino and his board will pay for his services.  

Let’s highlight that when Zidane came up from Castilla Team to Real Madrid, his wage was 2.5 million Euros per season. After winning the first UEFA Champion League, the Madrid renovated his contract with 5.5 million per season; and when the French decided to leave the "White House", his salary was fixed at 7.5 million per season.

For starters he will earn almost 5 millions more, despite the fact that his salary, nothing modest I dare say for a coach, can’t be compared with that of the Argentinean Diego Someone with Atlético de Madrid who earns 24 million per season.

All in all, his return wasn’t that expensive for the club. If it had been the Portuguese José Moreno, the only free candidate in the market, we would be speaking that he charged 20 million Euros to his last club, Manchester United.  

The amounts have gone rocket high not just those earned by elite players, but also coaches of prestige in that lucrative market in which has become soccer. It’s not just the most universal, but rather it’s also the one that more money moves around.  

Zizou knows it, and feelings aside, he didn't turn his back to the 12 as possible lucky number in his return. We’ll have to wait to see if Florentino decides to pay large amounts for the players the French is having in mind to revolutionize the achievements of the Club for season 2019-2020.