Phenomenal Achievements. Eight years ago, Zidane took charge of Real Madrid for the first time

Eight years ago, on January 4, 2016, it was announced that Rafael Benitez was stepping down as the head coach of Real Madrid.

On the same day, the president of the "royal club," Florentino Perez, called a special press conference and announced the name of the next coach for the team. The legendary footballer Zinedine Zidane took charge. In his first match under Zidane's leadership, Real Madrid defeated Deportivo 5-0.

Under the guidance of the Frenchman, the performance of the "white team" stabilized, and the team returned to the championship race. On April 2, 2016, in the "El Clasico" match, Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1. However, this defeat did not prevent Barcelona from becoming champions, edging out Madrid by just one point.

In that season, Real Madrid and Zidane conquered another tournament. The "Royal" club successively defeated Roma, Wolfsburg, and Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League playoffs. In the final, they faced Atletico Madrid, and Zinedine Zidane's team won in a penalty shootout with a score of 5-3.

The next season was even more successful for Real Madrid under Zizou's leadership. On January 12, 2017, the "whites" played a draw against Sevilla, allowing the club under the Frenchman's guidance to set a new record in Spain - 40 matches without a defeat. Real thus surpassed the previous record-holder, Barcelona, who, under Luis Enrique, went unbeaten for 39 matches.

In his first full season, Zidane led the club to its first La Liga victory since 2012, surpassing Barcelona by three points. In the Champions League, the "Royal Club" passed Napoli, Bayern Munich, Atletico, and again reached the Champions League final. Real defeated Juventus 4-1, securing their second consecutive trophy.

The two Champions League victories were accompanied by triumphs in the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup. During this period, Zidane won 8 out of 10 possible trophies, equaling the record set by Pep Guardiola in a similar timeframe.

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In the 2017-18 season, Real Madrid failed to defend the La Liga title, finishing behind Barcelona and Atletico in the league table. However, Zidane's team showed an incredible result in the Champions League, defeating PSG, Juventus, and Bayern Munich in the knockout stage.

On May 26, the final was held in Kyiv between Real Madrid and Liverpool. Gareth Bale's double secured victory for Zidane's team. Real won the Champions League for the third consecutive time, and Zidane became the first coach to achieve such a result.

Five days later, on May 31, 2018, Zinedine Zidane called a press conference and announced that he was stepping down from the position of head coach of Real Madrid.

Overall, in his 2.5 years as the manager of the "whites," Zizou coached 263 games, securing 174 victories, 53 draws, and 36 losses. Zidane demonstrated a winning percentage of 66%. The French specialist won a total of 11 titles.

We also remind you of the history of the legendary stadium in Detroit, which hosted NBA, NFL, Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup matches in 1994.