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Zinedine Zidane sensationally returned to Real Madrid for a second stint as a manager amidst an awful season by Los Blancos where they were eliminated in the Copa del Rey semi-finals by their arch-rivals Barcelona, humiliated by Ajax in the Champions League round of 16, and they sit far behind runaway leaders, Barcelona, in LaLiga with a few games to go.
The Frenchman becomes Real Madrid's third manager this season after the sacking of former Spain national team manager, Julen Lopetegui, and Santiago Solari.
Zinedine Zidane's return to the Bernabeu came as a shock considering that he resigned after guiding them to their historic 13th Champions League title and a third consecutive triumph under his guidance.
His return to the Bernabeu hot seat was welcomed by the Real Madrid fans and players. It's only four matches into Zidane's second reign as the Los Blancos manager, and they are already showing signs of a vintage Zidane's team by snatching late victories after going behind against Huesca and Eibar in LaLiga.
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Here is a look at 5 players who have been affected by the return of the Champions League King.
#5 Sergio Reguilón
The young Spanish defender established himself as the first choice left back at the Bernabeu under former Real Madrid manager, Santiago Solari. His inclusion in the first team meant that veteran Brazilian left-back, Marcelo, was reduced to a bench role during the Argentine's reign.
However, with the return of Zidane, Marcelo was immediately drafted into the first eleven for Zizou's first match in his second spell as Real Madrid manager. The Brazilian left-back was Zidane's favourite during his stint as Real Manager, therefore, his return will also get Marcelo back to the first team.
The return of Marcelo to the starting line up for Los Blancos is at the expense of Sergio Reguilon who will now be the understudy of the veteran defender who has been at the club for a whopping 13 years.
#4 Thibaut Courtois
When Santiago Solari took over as Real Madrid manager, the Argentine clearly stated that he was not going to rotate goalkeepers as Julen Lopetegui did, and chose Thibaut Courtois as his first choice goalkeeper.
However, with the return of Zizou, things seem not to be the same for the Belgian shot-stopper, as he has not featured for Los Blancos in all the four matches of Zidane's second reign. Keylor Navas has been restored as the first choice goalkeeper, featuring in three matches out of a possible four.
Even against bottom-placed Huesca, Zidane passed the chance of playing the World Cup Golden Glove winner, to surprisingly hand his son, Enzo, his debut. This is a clear indicator that it will take time for Thibaut Courtois to win over the new manager, and in the meantime, he will continue warming the Bernabeu bench.
#3 Keylor Navas
Keylor Navas has been given a new lease of life at Real Madrid with the re-appointment of Zinedine Zidane as Los Blancos manager. The Frenchman immediately restored him to the starting line-up in his first match in charge, and the Costa Rican repaid Zinedine Zidane's trust in him by keeping a clean sheet in his first match after several months of bench warming.
He has featured in three out of a possible four matches for Real Madrid since the return of Zizou to the Bernabeu hot seat. Navas played a prominent role between the sticks for Zidane's three consecutive Champions League victories at the helm of Real Madrid.
When Zidane left Real Madrid, Navas thanked him for the opportunity the Frenchman offered him at the club. His special relationship with the coach means he has an upper hand in Real Madrid's starting line-up.
#2 Marco Asensio
Marco Asensio broke into the Real Madrid starting line-up as one of the hottest prospects in Spanish football. He stepped up and delivered for Los Blancos when goals were hard to come by.
His meteoric rise continued under Zidane and was considered to be part of the Spanish football team, and was picked to be part of the World Cup squad in Russia.
However, during Santiago Solari's time at the helm, the youngster was marginalized and hardly featured for Los Blancos. The return of Zizou has been a sigh of relief for the Spanish youngster who has started getting more game time.
He has not yet hit top form due to the minutes he spent on the bench, but with time, Asensio will return to his sparkling best and live up to the hype that he had when he burst onto the scene with a 25-metre effort in the UEFA Super Cup.
#1 Isco
Since Zidane took over the reins as Real Madrid manager for the second time, it looks to be paying great dividends for Isco who was in the bad books of former manager, Santiago Solari.
The Spanish midfielder did not start a single match under the departed Argentine, as he claimed Isco is not fully fit to start a match, and he questioned his commitment to the club.
However, there were drastic changes when Zidane took over, as Isco went from being unfit, as Solari claimed, to being reinstated back to the starting line-up. Not only did Isco feature for Los Blancos, but he also scored against Celta Vigo.
Isco scored in a second consecutive match against Huesca, a clear indicator that the Spaniard is enjoying a new lease of life since the reappointment of Zinedine Zidane, and is returning to top form.
