Zidane's challenge

Zidane earned the title of Mister Champions when driving Madrid to a achievement that seemed unattainable. No team had won two European Cups in a row in the Champions era. Under the Frenchman's baton, Madrid did not achieve two consecutive, but three, a triad of titles unpublished since the 70s. last squad that had managed to revalidate the European title was the Sacchi's Milan in 1990. A team rossonero that in its two titles it was the black beast that The Quinta del Vulture of the Orejona. A mythical Madrid that now serves as a reference for Zizou's pupils to face a new challenge: defend the league title.

No coach repeats title with Madrid since more than three decades ago. The last in achieving it was Leo Beenhakker, who chained the championships of 1987, 1988 and 1989. They were the second, third and fourth League of the five with which the generation led by Butragueño (The first was won by Molowny and the last in the series by Toshack). Since then, in 30 years Madrid has only been able to renew its status as champion on one occasion, with successive alirones of 2007 and 2008. But between those two leagues he mediated a relay in front of the Madrid dressing room. Capello conquered The League of the Burning Nail and the Tamudazo and Schuster repeated success in a league crowned with the hall of Barcelona at the Bernabéu.

Of the 33 previous seasons in which I started as champion, Madríd achieved retain title 17 times. Half. In the decade of the 60s, the whites made it customary to inscribe their name in the league's record year after year by the hand of Miguel Munoz, with whom renewed champion status six times. There were five consecutive wound between the 1960-61 and 1964-65 and three others from the 1966-67 to 1968-69 (To which must be added the one won in 1971-72 for the total of nine that Muñoz has, a championship record). Alone the athletic, champion in 1965-66 was able to interrupt a streak that would have been historic with nine titles. No team in the Spanish league has managed to match the repókers of that Madrid of the 60s and the aforementioned Quinta del Buitre.

Apart from the aforementioned Muñoz and Beenhakker, only two technicians more have achieved repeat title continuously with Madrid: Miljan Miljanic (1974-75 and 1975-76) and Luis Molowny (1977-78 and 1978-79). The canary later led the whites to the first Liga de la Quinta del Buitre (1985-86). Luis Villalonga (1954-55 and 1956-57), Capello (1996-97 and 2006-07), Del Bosque (2000-01 and 2002-03) and Zidane himself (2016-17 and 2019-20) also achieved repeat title non-consecutively.

Besides the title, the french glimpses this campaign the horizon of overcome whoever your technician was, Vicente del Bosque, as second coach with the most games in the history of Real Madrid. Last season Zidane beat Mourinho (178 games), Molowny (180) and Beenhakker (197) almost at once, reaching the 200 against Eibar in the first game after confinement and already adds 211, 35 games out of 246 that the man from Salamanca led the white team. Far away there is still Miguel Munoz, who held the position in 605 matchs over 15 years of service to the club.

What no one can match is the pace at which Zidane adds titles. As a coach, he has won 3 Champions, 2 Leagues, 2 Club World Cups, 2 European Super Cups and 2 Spanish Super Cups.. A trophy harvested for the showcases of the Bernabéu every 19 games.

The Cup, pending

At long track record of success that collects Zidane's record one title is missing: the Copa del Rey. In the two seasons in which the Frenchman took the reins in the middle of the course, he found the team already eliminated from the KO tournament. In the other three editions he always fell in the quarterfinals, eliminated by Celta, Leganés and Real Sociedad. Cups resist Zidane throughout his career, also as a player. He did not win it in his five seasons at Madrid (he lost the Centenariazo final against Deportivo in 2002 and that of 2004 against Zaragoza) and neither did he win the Italian and French cups in his stages at Cannes, Girondins de Bordeaux and La Juventus. A track record as a player in which, along with titles of such luster as the World Cup or the European Championship, there are, as a curiosity, two Intertoto Cups.