Zinedine Zidane is said to have once resigned from Real Madrid after the club attempted to sign a Manchester United player.
In recent days, Zidane has been linked with a return to management, with several reports in Turkey claiming the French icon was in talks to replace Jose Mourinho as Fenerbahce coach.
Meanwhile, French magazine L’Equipe has claimed that Zidane is preparing to take charge of the French national team after next summer’s World Cup.
According to the publication, the 53-year-old has been following Les Bleus and monitoring players and the French domestic league to prepare for the role, with several stars, including Kylian Mbappe, willing to work with the 1998 World Cup winner.
Zidane has not had a managerial role since 2021, when he resigned from his second term as Real Madrid coach.
The former midfielder achieved extraordinary success in charge of Los Blancos, winning 11 trophies, including three consecutive UEFA Champions Leagues, two La Liga titles, two FIFA Club World Cups, two UEFA Super Cups and two Supercopa de España.
According to reports, his first spell at Real ended in tense circumstances, as the Frenchman reportedly clashed with club president Florentino Perez over transfer plans.
A report by The Sun from 2018 reveals that Zidane had asked Perez to sign Eden Hazard from Chelsea, but the president had refused.
Perez then told Zidane that he wanted to bring in David de Gea from Manchester United. Zidane, it is alleged, insisted that he had faith in then-Real goalkeeper Keylor Navas and did not want another top-level goalkeeper.
The debate reportedly continued for a while, until Zidane told Perez: “I’m done. You take care of the team.”
Of course, De Gea never signed for Real Madrid, while Hazard joined the club the following summer for a fee that reached up to £130 million.
However, injury problems and inconsistent performances meant Hazard failed to shine, leaving Real in June 2023 and retiring from professional football four months later.
