Vincent Mannaert told DH: “We’d offered him a room in a luxury hotel in Knokke (La Réserve, ed.), but he said he’d rather stay with the team in the pre-match retreat (mise au vert).” Zidane was then coaching Real Madrid’s reserve side and was taking the UEFA Pro badge with four other Frenchmen, under the supervision of Guy Lacombe.
Silly question, but how green is the “green” retreat exactly? I asked the newsroom. They told me it’s when the team sleeps together, away from everything, before a match. So he left a hotel called La Réserve to stay with the players, while he was coaching the reserve team. I filed that under “coincidences” in my notebook. Basketball doesn’t have that, I looked, you just sleep at a hotel. Anyway, I still have a lot to learn.
During the placement, he also ran a training session for Club Bruges’ under-19s, then coached by Rik De Mil. Mannaert recalls: “We hadn’t told the players anything. They only found out when Zidane opened the dressing-room door. Imagine the surprise (laughs).” Zidane introduced himself this way: “OK, I was a good player but right now I’m a trainee coach who’s more nervous than you.”
Silly question, but how do you become a trainee when your name is Zidane? I checked: there were five Frenchmen on the course, with a professor. A professor! Like at school. Ten months later he took charge of Real Madrid’s first team and won three Champions Leagues in a row, in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Me, ten months into my internship, I know where the coffee machine is. I opened a tab called “humility”. It’s already full.
Mannaert has kept one fixed idea ever since: “He may not have the tactical genius of a Pep Guardiola, but he’s a real people manager. That’s why I think he’ll make a formidable national coach. It’s a role tailor-made for him. He manages to unite star players beyond their egos.” In January 2025, after Domenico Tedesco was sacked, Mannaert duly offered Zidane the Red Devils job. Zidane replied that the only post that interested him was the France job, held by Didier Deschamps. Rudi Garcia was appointed instead.
It’s true, we checked: DH Les Sports+.
