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#3 Mauricio Pochettino
Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino is another high-profile manager who could be readily available to take over at Real Madrid in the unlikely event of Zinedine Zidane being shown the door.
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The former Argentine international has already reportedly been 'contacted' by Real Madrid in this regard. However, that doesn't mean that Zinedine Zidane's job is in danger any time soon; the club are only seemingly preparing for life beyond the Frenchman at the moment.
One of the most decorated young tacticians in the game, Mauricio Pochettino may not yet have a trophy to show for his pedigree, but the former Espanyol and Paris St. Germain player led Spurs to their highest league finish (third) in over three decades.
He also led the London club to the cusp of their maiden Champions League title, but that was not to be as Spurs fell to Liverpool in the all-English 2018-19 final.
Pochettino's high-pressing attacking style of football may help endear him to the Real Madrid faithful. His impressive man-management skills could also be conducive in dealing with big-name players like Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos and Thibaut Courtois, to name a few.
#4 Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel may seem like an unlikely name in this list because he is managing Ligue 1 giants Paris St. Germain at the moment.
However, the young German tactician, who took the French club to their maiden Champions League final last season, is no stranger to title aspirations at a big club.
During his previous stint with Borussia Dortmund in his native Germany, Tuchel conjured an impressive 63% win-record while delivering the club's first trophy in five years - the 2017-18 DFB Pokal. That happened to be the 47-year-old tactician's first title in his managerial career.
After reportedly falling out of favour with the Dortmund hierarchy, Tuchel moved from North Rhine Westphalia and arrived in Paris, where he has done a decent job till date.
Tuchel has displayed impressive tactical flexibility as he has judiciously used the explosive talents and egos of big-name players Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani to produce the goods upfront while maintaining defensive solidity.
Despite a home defeat to Manchester United in PSG's 2020-21 Champions League opener, Tuchel's job is not in immediate danger.
However, as the season evolves, the German tactician, who is in the last year of his contract with the Ligue 1 club, could be courted by Real Madrid if Zinedine Zidane is relieved of his duties.
#5 Julian Nagelsmann
Julian Nagelsmann, one of the youngest active managers in club-football management, has carved a niche for himself during his relatively short managerial career till date.
After first making his name at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, whom he took to the Champions League for the first time, Nagelsmann became the youngest person to manage 100 Bundesliga games before making a move to Leipzig in the summer of 2019.
In his first season at the helm of one of the newest top-5 league clubs in Europe, Nagelsmann took Leipzig to the Champions League semi-finals in the club's debut campaign in the competition.
Nagelsmann, who has shown a proclivity for quick-pressing attacking football, is on the radar of a bevvy of top European clubs. Should the top job at Real Madrid become available, the 33-year-old would definitely be one of the contenders despite having a contract with Leipzig till the end of the 2022-23 season.
