“That is football” - Zinedine Zidane names 3 Real Madrid players when asked to choose players who impressed him the most as coach

Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane named Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Karim Benzema as three players who impressed him the most during his spell as manager. He hailed the trio's ability to keep the ball consistently for long periods in a game.

Zidane first managed Los Blancos between 2016 and 2018. He completed an unprecedented three-peat of the UEFA Champions League, along with winning multiple other trophies. He returned to the club in 2019 for two years and won the La Liga title and the Supercopa de Espana.

He was recently asked to name the player who impressed him the most during his spell as a manager. He answered (via Madrid Xtra):

“Players who impressed me the most as a coach? When you see Kroos, Modrić & Benzema playing for you for an hour without losing a single ball, that is football.”

The trio are three of the greatest players in Real Madrid history. Benzema is the second-highest scorer in the club's history with 354 goals, only behind Cristiano Ronaldo with 450. The Frenchman also provided 165 assists in 648 games before leaving as a free agent in 2023.

Kroos, meanwhile, recorded 28 goals and 99 assists in 465 appearances for the Merengues before announcing his retirement this summer. Modric, on the other hand, has scored 39 goals and provided 86 assists in 234 games for Real Madrid. He is the most decorated player in the club alongside Nacho Fernandez with 26 trophies.

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Zinedine Zidane predicts big things from Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid

Los Blancos recently announced the signing of Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer. The Frenchman is one of the best players of this era and his compatriot has backed him to achieve great things at the club. He said (via Tribal Football):

"Mbappé is already at Real Madrid, he is going to make history. I think he is going to surprise everyone ."

Mbappe, 25, became PSG's all-time top scorer after joining from AS Monaco in 2017. He scored 256 goals and provided 108 assists in 308 games for the Parisians, winning multiple trophies.

He also helped France win the 2018 FIFA World Cup and reach the 2022 World Cup final. He scored a hat-trick in the final in the latter edition but lost to Argentina on penalties.

With Real Madrid boasting the likes of Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo Goes, Mbappe's addition appears set to help them achieve more success.