The memory of the first Zidane League and the champion without a trophy

Madrid return to La Rosaleda, a very special field in particular for Zinedine Zidane, who got his first league there as coach of Madrid. That title that rewards daily work and to which Zizou attributes greater difficulty than winning the Champions League. That was the night of May 21, 2017. The Madrid team entered the last match day three points ahead of Barcelona, ​​but the goal average particular lost. So they needed to rate. His rival, Málaga, had detached himself from relegation after a long stretch at the end of the season, leaving nothing at stake. Míchel, ex-Madridista, was the coach of that team. This aroused speculation, especially in Barcelona, ​​regarding a possible help for the white team to lift the title. “Our obligation is to defend the Málaga shirt,” he commented at a somewhat tense previous press conference.

The eleven that Zidane had in that match was: Navas, Danilo, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo, Modric, Casemiro, Kroos, Isco, Cristiano and Benzema. These last two were the authors of the goals (0-2). The Portuguese barely needed one minute and 37 seconds to put Madrid ahead and the French finished the job in the 55th minute..

The celebration of the title on the grass threw several anecdotes. It was the first time that most of the players of the white squad had conquered the League. Of the previous one, five years before, only Pepe, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Coentrao, Cristiano and Benzema were repeating. Modric and Bale, who already had two Champions in their record but won their first league that night, roamed the field in search of the cup. “How ?! There is no trophy?”said the Croatian in disbelief, in a conversation captured by the The day after. Then the champion was handed over to him in the first game on his field the following season or, if anything, in the last at home if he achieved the title days in advance. Modric's face was a poem of perplexity, while Bale ended up venting to Cristiano. “It's a j … joke,” said the Portuguese.

In the press room, Zidane highlighted the value of conquering that League: “As a coach there is no more. Professionally it is the happiest day of my life. More than this cannot be achieved. More things can be achieved, but today, personally, is the happiest day. For us it was important. day is the League and when you win it is very important “.

More than three months later, on August 27, Ramos and Marcelo received a trophy in the Bernabéu box before receiving Valencia. The RFEF has corrected this anomaly and in the last two seasons the winner has received the cup on the day he was proclaimed champion. Last July Modric and Bale could already celebrate the League 34 of the whites with the trophy present at the Di Stéfano.

Besides that title, Madrid have been good at visiting the Costa del Sol. Since Málaga CF was re-founded, they only lost in one of their 18 official visits to La Rosaleda. It was 3-2 in December 2012, the night Mourinho sat Casillas for the first time.