Real Madrid have been able to agree a three-year contract with manager Zinedine Zidane, who has not instant and immense success to the club in a very short spell.

After being appointed as the replacement for Rafa Benitez – likely on a temporary basis, Zidane has gone on to achieve incredible success in the last 18 months. He won the Champions League in just a few months after being appointed as the manager. After having experienced incredible success as a player and a widely being regarded as one of the greatest in the world, Zidane has set about carving out a space for himself in the managerial world.

He helped Real Madrid end a five-year wait for the league title by beating Barcelona to the La Liga last season. This was also immediately followed by another Champions League success. This success, though, was even bigger as it helped Madrid become the first club to retain the title in the modern era. Zidane also became the first manager to lift the Champions League honour in back-to-back campaigns. (more…)

Professional football is like a bubble.

Outside it you will meet every laissez-faire form of it; Street football, beach soccer, indoor futsal, you name them. Inside it though houses a different kind of animal mainly bothering on corporate culture.

And as with cultures, they tend to they evolve. This is based on the constant need to improve rules of engagement and the overall well being of all stake and shareholders.

Real Madrid on Saturday ran out winners in Cardiff denying Juventus the chance to lift the trophy for the third time in their history and at the same time condemning them to a 7th champions League final loss.

Sadly for the corporate soul of the beautiful game, a certain Madrid player called Sergio Ramos made mockery of the rules and regulation tablet of soccer’s governing councils.

It is one thing to cook up antics during a do or die football match in a bid to entrap anybody silly enough to be controlled by his emotions.  But when leading 3-1 with 6 minutes to go?Absolutely not. Ramos’s theatrics that lead to the sending off of Juan Cuadrado on Saturday was absolutely diabolical. (more…)

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has refused to confirm whether Gareth Bale will earn a starting spot for the Champions League final against Juventus on Saturday.

The Wales international has already declared himself fit for the clash at the Principality Stadium, and he will be hoping to put up a strong display in front of his home fans in Cardiff.Bale has not featured for the European champions since his calf problem in the El Clasico in April, and the former Spurs man admits that he may have rushed his return following a surgery in November.

During the Welshman’s absence, Isco managed to shine in the Los Blancos shirt, and his influence was key to the club’s first La Liga triumph since the 2011-12 season.When asked about Bale’s potential inclusion in the starting XI, Zidane remained coy hinting that he may make a late decision on who starts on the right side of the attack.

“I’m not going to tell you who’s going to play tomorrow,” Zidane told PA Sport. “Isco and Bale are two players who can also play together; in the long run, anything can happen (more…)