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Zinedine Zidane has reportedly turned down a return to Real Madrid, eyeing other goals instead

Zinedine Zidane could have returned to Real Madrid for a third spell as manager, but he has reportedly turned the club down.

According to Spanish newspaper AS, talks took place at the end of last year between the 53-year-old Frenchman and Florentino Pérez, during which Zidane turned down the Real Madrid president's offer to return to the Bernabéu.

Reports indicate that president Florentino Pérez wanted Zinédine Zidane to replace Xabi Alonso, whose departure was already planned. However, Zidane had already committed to succeed Didier Deschamps as France coach after the following summer's World Cup, so a return to Real Madrid was impossible.
After Alonso's January dismissal, Alvaro Arbeloa stepped in, yet results have improved only marginally. In La Liga, Madrid now trail bitter rivals Barcelona by a seemingly unassailable twelve points and could surrender the title outright in Saturday's Clásico.
Their Champions League campaign also faltered, ending in the quarter-finals after two narrow losses to Bayern Munich. A second successive trophy-less season now looms, leaving Arbeloa's position precarious and another coaching change likely.

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Is there a "charged atmosphere" at Real Madrid?
Media reports persist in suggesting that the internal atmosphere at Real Madrid has hit rock bottom. Mundo Deportivo recently described an "explosive atmosphere" in the dressing room, with no signs of things calming down.
"The royal dressing room has become a real powder keg," the report stated. Tensions between players have simmered for some time, and there is widespread dissatisfaction with Arbeloa's work. Star players Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham have been accused in recent weeks of fuelling friction, at times even among themselves.
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Who will follow in Álvaro Arbeloa's footsteps?
Zidane was under contract with Real Madrid as a player between 2001 and 2016, and later as manager between 2016 and 2018 and 2019 and 2021. Under his leadership, the Blancos won three consecutive Champions League titles, among other honours. Since then, the Frenchman has been without a managerial role.
According to consistent media reports, the club's hierarchy is now searching intensively for a successor to Arbeloa, who replaced Xabi Alonso only at the start of the year. According to The Athletic, President Florentino Perez's preferred choice is Jose Mourinho, brought in to impose discipline on a disorganised squad. Mourinho has played down the speculation, calmly stating that "nobody from Real Madrid" has contacted him.
Other candidates recently mentioned include France's outgoing national coach Didier Deschamps, Jürgen Klopp and Massimiliano Allegri.