OFFICIAL: Zinedine Zidane leaves Real Madrid after winning three straight UCL titles
Zinedine Zidane has announced that he will step down from his post as Real Madrid's manager with immediate effect.
The news comes as a shock after the Frenchman guided Los Blancos to an unprecidented third Champions League title in a row.
The Frenchman called a snap press conference at the Bernabéu on Thursday amid a flurry of speculation and delivered the shock news that he will not be at the helm of the three-times Champions League winners for the 2018-19 season.
Zidane led Madrid to a treble of European triumphs in Kiev last Saturday night, enshrining his side as the greatest of the modern era in Europe's elite club competition and placing them in the same bracket as the Ajax and Bayern Munich sides that achieved the same remarkable feat in the 1970s.
In doing so, Zidane also became one of only three coaches to lift the European Cup / Champions League on three occasions, alongside Bob Paisley and Carlo Ancelotti, and the first in the history of the game to do so on three consecutive occasions.
Having enjoyed a successful career with Juventus, Real Madrid and co. in which he has won trophies such as Serie A, La Liga and Champions League, Zinedine Zidane hung up his boots after 2006 World Cup.
The 45-year-old rejoined Real Madrid in 2014 to begin his coaching career at Castilla (Real Madrid B), where he has built himself a widely positive reputation.
And when Rafael Benitez was released by Real Madrid in January 2016 after a dismal run in the first team, Zidane was quickly called into action.
In his debut campaign as first team head coach, Zidane guided Real Madrid to Champions League glory, beating Atletico Madrid in penalty shootout.
Real Madrid then successfully defended the Champions League title the next year, becoming the first team in modern history to do so, and also beat utter rivals Barcelona to La Liga title.
Despite his failure to lead Real to La Liga glory in 2017/18 season, the team still managed to win three successive Champions League titles by defeating Liverpool at Kiev a week ago.