In a way, it seems so obvious. There was no where for Zidane to go but down. He had already won three Champions League titles in two and a half years as coach. No coach has won more. No coach had won three in a row. No team had won three in a row in 40 years. Zidane did.
Zidane picked a perfect time to leave, his legacy as shiny as his bald head. Zidane did what so few actually get the chance to do, especially at Real Madrid, leave on your own terms; leave when there was more to give. Just as he did as a player, leaving after dominating the 2006 World Cup, he leaves after dominating the coaching world.
Sure, there is a tinge of sadness, of not getting to see that suave gentleman roam the sidelines of the Bernabeu, an image that just seemed right, seemed perfect. But for a man who has already accomplished so much as a player, and then as a coach, it was surely not going to be a Wenger or Sir Alex like run at the club.
That said, Zidane was perfect for Madrid. His calm demeanor, his command of hte media and the politics of the most political of clubs. There's a reason why we never heard players complain during seasons, apart from the odd James or Bale quotes. That's why we rarely heard about Florentino Perez complaining as he is want to do. That's why we rarely saw drama at a club that knew nothing but. Zidane commanded respect from the players, from even players who approach his status as a player (Ronaldo), from the media, and even that ornery president. This was his Madrid, and he owned it.
Zidane left because he could. Because he had accomplished more than anyone could have expected, even during a season that had its complications. Sure, it is sad given one year ago, when Madrid already achieved history by going back to back in the Champions League and won the league. They looked to be on the cusp of a new era. Insteadx, it was one more year of glory before having to start anew.
Zidane will get other opportunities, whether it be for France, or Juventus, or even someday back at Madrid (he and Perez went to some lengths to say how this is not goodbye forever). But it will be sad to not have that stately magician on the touchlines, especially in the Bernabeu. It fit so well, a magnetic superstar coach heading a superstar team in the great cathedral of sport.
Even beyond the mysticism, of course, lies the fact that Zidane was objectively a great coach as well. He may not have had the revolutionary tactics of Guardiola, or Mourinho, or even Klopp, but he also wasn't nearly as much of a novice as some made him out to be. He created a modable team that was able to play on teh counter, or dominate possession, and played to their strenghts, allowing a scintillating team to do that just. Of course, more than anything else, he inspired - driving a team always a bit flighty to more success than anyone could have imagined. We should have seen it when an uninspired Madrid nearly caught Barcelona in 2016, and won teh Champions League for the second time in three years. The rest was just proof.
It may take a while before we truly understand what we just saw with Zidane. There is no good comparison in modern sports, maybe you have to go bavk to Cruyff in football, but it is hard to draw a parallel in US sports. We have never seem something like this. In a weird way, I feel like his supernova status as a player detracted from his achievements as a coach. This would be like if Peyton Manning took over as coach or GM of the Colts and immediately won Three superbowls. That is ludicrous. What Zidane did is also, but it also happened.
In the end, it shouldn't come as any surprise that Zidane called in a job well done after three years. The idea of someone like him becoming a coaching lifer always seemed a bit senseless. He doesn't need to stay because he literally doesn't need to stay. He is, after all, Zinedine Zidane.
