Zinedine Zidane leaves Real Madrid: What next for the Champions League-winning manager?

Au revoir, Zi Zi, it's been one hell of a journey.

Just days after leading Real Madrid to their third consecutive European title, Zinedine Zidane has announced he'll be stepping down as manager at the club.

It came as quite the surprise, with club sources left in the dark beforehand as to why the Frenchman had called the press conference so unexpectedly.

But after recognising the merit in quitting while you’re head, Zidane made the decision to resign as head coach while adding that he wouldn't be looking for a new team to manage.

Nonetheless, when has that stopped a manager from turning down a lucrative offer? Both Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp cut short their respective sabbaticals in the past to take on new challenges, so there's every chance the same could happen with Zidane.

On this basis, where could the Real legend go?

A team full of world-leading talent. A former player who has been there, done that, won all there is to win. Sounds familiar, right? The France job holds a number of similarities to the one Zidane has vacated - just with the added pressure of delivering for an entire nation instead of one city...

But what about incumbent boss Didier Deschamps? How France fares at the World Cup will surely determine his future, but as an unpopular figure among players and fans alike it's easy to imagine the relevant decision-makers in French football clamouring to replace Deschamps with the 1998 World Cup-winning captain.

Don't be surprised, then, if by the summer's end those in power have started making moves on the former player.

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Antonio Conte is a man with his head propped up on the chopping block, just waiting for the axe to fall. We all know it’s coming, but we just don’t know when. Chelsea are expected to part ways with the combustible Italian in the coming months as they look to breathe new life into the club after a dreary 2017/18 season.

So far the club have been linked with former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri but the prospect of bringing in the Zidedine Zidane will surely get a few tongues waggling at the Bridge. The club has the financial clout to afford him but would the Frenchman be genuinely interested in taking on the challenge?

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I’m going to throw a curveball here and say the United hierarchy will have been watching today’s events with a curious eye. Yes, we all know Jose Mourinho’s job is ‘safe’ and that he has the full backing of the board, but when has that ever stopped a high-profile manager from being sacked out of the blue?

Zidane ticks all the boxes: a proven-winner (let’s ignore the side debate on this), a high-profile name, a footballing legend, etc, etc. Mourinho has one season left to deliver at Old Trafford and no doubt he’ll be conscious of the spectre of Zidane hanging over him.

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I appreciate we're scraping the barrel here but there's no harm in wishful thinking. Indeed, Mauricio Pochettino has been linked to Madrid this season but what if, in a bizarre turn of events, Zidane went the other way and took the Tottenham job? It'd be quite the step down from the heights of his European success with Madrid but, on the other hand, it would certainly present something new for the Frenchman.

Wishful thinking, like I said...