Top 5 unexpected managerial exits

#1 Zinedine Zidane - Madrid

Zinedine Zidane - Killed it as a player, killed it as a manager, on the biggest stage of them all

Coming to more recent and trending matters, Zinedine Zidane tops this list of unexpected managerial candidates after he announced his decision to step down as the Real Madrid manager just days after leading Los Blancos to their historically unprecedented third consecutive UEFA Champions League title.

Appointed in January 2016, Zidane has indeed left his mark on the club's rich history, winning 9 major titles in a mere span of two-and-a-half years.

While the 2017-18 season may not have turned out exactly how the club and its fans would've liked (Real Madrid struggled in La Liga and Copa del Rey), winning 3 back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles is no small feat, and that's precisely what makes this exit so very unexpected.

There are some managers who are asked to leave their respective clubs. Then, there are some managers who enjoy little success before bidding farewell. The best kind of managers leave on their own time, after successful gigs with their clubs.

And then there's Zinedine Zidane. The man who made history - the man who accomplished what no other individual on the planet has - only to walk away soon after.

To be fair though, the French legend came, saw, and conquered all there was to conquer, leading the biggest club in the world rather ably, winning 69.80% of the 149 games he managed while simultaneously juggling a plethora of giant-sized egos on the side.

Several people across the world will, unfortunately, attribute his success to the fact that he had the best team in the world at his disposal.

But make no mistake, Zidane may have been lucky to have been handed the reigns of a team like Real Madrid, but unlike most managers before him who wilted under the pressure, the Frenchman didn't just visit the Sun in all its heat - he made it his own before returning unscathed.