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Zinedine Zidane has been announced as the new manager of Real Madrid's reserve side Castilla. The 1998 World Cup winner is gearing up for his first taste at management, after functioning as Real Madrid's first team assistant coach under Carlo Ancelotti.
The Frenchman was working under Ancelotti's wings as the Los Blancos beat city rivals Atletico Madrid to secure their 10th European crown. The 42-year-old gained a lot of man-management experience as Real finally ended their wait for the elusive La Decima at the UEFA Champions League 2014 final at Lisbon.
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The former France midfielder was earlier linked with a move to French club Bordeaux, in order to take over the manager's vacant post. But Zizou, who had made 247 appearances for Real Madrid, decided to stay back at his beloved Santiago Bernabeu.
Real’s website said: "Zidane will be joined by the youth coach Santiago Sánchez and has already started working on future plans for the reserve team squad." They also confirmed the news on their official twitter handle.
Real Madrid's reserve side Castilla currently ply their trade in the third tier of Spanish football, Segunda B after being relegated last season. The French legend will now have to oversee the development of new talents who may later make their way into the Real Madrid main team, and also bring back the club to the second division atleast.
Zidane can learn a few tricks of the trade from player-turned managers like Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone. Gaining hands-on experience while on the job, he can prepare himself for a tougher task as the manager of a top-flight club later in his career.
And if Zizou manages to impress while donning the manager's hat, then who knows the three-time FIFA World Player of The Year may someday lead Real Madrid to further glories, this time as a manager.
