Why Zinedine Zidane left Real Madrid

Zinedine Zidane did not want Cristiano Ronaldo to be sold. 

After winning the UEFA Champions League three times in two and a half seasons Zinedine Zidane shocked Real Madrid by resigning and a prominent figure of the club has since revealed the true reason he departed.

Zidane was appointed as Real head coach after an inconsistent start to the 2015/16 season by Rafael Benitez and departed with a staggering nine titles after less than three seasons at the helm.

The Frenchman, who stepped up from his role as reserve team coach already held an iconic status at the Santiago Bernabeu before his tenure, which made his exit all the more frustrating for the Madridistas.

While he cited that he took the squad as far as he could in his final words alongside club President Florentino Perez, it’s been claimed by former President Ramon Calderon the off-season transfer activity was the deal breaker.

“Zidane insisted on keeping Cristiano and selling Bale,” Calderon said, as per AS. “But in fact, Perez did the opposite to what Zidane had asked.

“Zidane wanted to have decision-making power when it came to signing some players and selling others, but his demands were not met, and so he decided to leave. And he was right.” – kickoff.com