Zinedine Zidane set to replace Rafa Benitez as Real Madrid coach imminently

L’Equipe’s front page on Wednesday morning suggests a major managerial change at Real Madrid is in the offing.

According to L’Equipe, Zidane is “at the gates of the great Real Madrid” with Rafa Benitez now one poor result away from the sack.

Benitez has now lost the confidence of the Real Madrid hierarchy and appointing Zidane as coach of the first team has been a long term dream of president Florentino Perez.

Rumours were rife after the 4-0 El Clasico defeat to Barcelona in November that Benitez would be on his way but Perez came out with a public vote of confidence.

Since then, Real have continued to be rocked by scandal, most notably with Karim Benzema’s involvement in Mathieu Valbuena’s sextape scandal and their exit from the Copa del Rey due to playing an ineligible player against Cadiz.

On the pitch, Real Madrid won five successive matches, including an 8-0 shellacking of Malmo after defeat to Barcelona. But, the 1-0 loss at Villarreal this past Sunday appears to have cost Benitez his job.

Real Madrid have two La Liga games before the turn of the year. At home to Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad.

The match with Rayo Vallecano this Sunday afternoon precedes a 10-day break over Christmas.

So sure are L’Equipe that Zidane will take over at Real Madrid that they have a supplementary article on his coaching style.

Zidane is currently in charge of the Real Madrid Castilla side, where he plays an attacking style, similar to his playing days.

The 1998 French World Cup winner recently said: “As a footballer, I liked to play and, as a coach, I want my team to play ball.”

The former Juventus and Real Madrid superstar is also on the front covers of Madrid-based papers Marca and AS today. They can both be seen below, with English explanation of their reports, following today’s L’Equipe front cover.