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Real Madrid's legend and current manager Zinedine Zidane has notably told the players that he will leave the club at the end of this season. After an extremely successful few years as a manager at Los Blancos, the 48-year-old surprisingly left the club at end of the 2017-18 season. However, Zidane made a sensational return to the club the following season with the club struggling and guided Madrid to a historic Laliga title in the 2019-20 season. Having revived the club, who are still with an outside chance to become champions this season, the Frenchman has finally decided to move on and has shaken the whole football world.
With a managerial position vacant at one of the biggest clubs in the world, there are some top managers linked with the prestigious job. Let us have a look at five possible contenders who could replace Zidane at Real Madrid next season.
1. Joachim Low
The German manager is undoubtedly one of the most high-profile names who is linked with the job at Real Madrid. Joachim Low guided his nation to a historic World Cup title in 2014 and has announced that he will leave the job at the end of Euros this summer. It has also been reported that the 61-year-old has been learning 'Spanish' for a while and is interested in a move to Los Blancos. While Low has not managed any big club in his career, he has had an illustrious 15 years with the national team. With the German also in the twilight of his managerial reign, winning a few trophies with Real Madrid would be some way to his career.
2. Antonio Conte
The Italian manager is one of the best in the business in club football right now. Having managed big clubs like Juventus & Chelsea and leading them to glory, Antonio Conte is a proven candidate. The 51-year-old has certainly raised his stocks remarkably this season after guiding Inter Milan to Serie A title against all odds. With his future in Italy still uncertain, the move to Real Madrid just cannot be ruled out. While Conte has been linked with the job in Spain earlier as well, he has failed to get the offer. It is very unlikely again as Conte is expected to continue at Inter but if Madrid shows interest, things could get quite interesting in the next few days.
3. Hansi Flick
The 56-year-old German, who was the assistant manager when the national team won the World Cup in 2014, is now a renowned top manager himself. Hans-Dieter "Hansi" Flick took over Bayern Munich in 2019 and has led them to all kinds of success in a 2-year span. Having guided the club to a historic treble in 2020, Flick stunned everyone with his exciting tactics which reaped tremendous success. However, Flick had decided to leave the club at the end of this season and is one of the leading contenders to take the job of the national team after the Euros. Having proven his pedigree of managing a top club at the biggest level, it will be very interesting to see if Real Madrid consider him for a job at the club.
4. Massimiliano Allegri
The Italian Manager is one of the hot favourites to take up the job at Real Madrid. Massimilano Allegri has been out of action for a while since leaving Juventus after five successful years in Italy. The 53-year-old has constantly been linked to all the big clubs across the globe and is being touted as one of the leading contenders to replace Pirlo at the Old Lady after this season. However, as per reports, Real Madrid are in talks with him and Allegri is also interested. If the move actually ends up, the fans would be delighted to have one of the top managers back in business and that too at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
5. Raul Gonzalez
Real Madrid's legend Raul Gonzalez is currently leading the race to become the next manager at the club. The 43-year-old has a very similar iconic status at the club, just like Zidane. Raul has also impressed with his time at the youth team, having also won the UEFA Youth Cup with them. After a successful campaign at RM Castilla, the Spaniard is looking ready to take over the senior side. Considering the success Zidane had at the club during his time as the manager, it would tempt the club to hand over the reigns to another club legend in the form of Raul. If the club decides to go ahead with this decision, it would be a dream come true for so many Madrid fans across the globe.