Zinedine Zidane will target next French wonderkid if he returns to Real Madrid

Should Zinedine Zidane return to Real Madrid for a third stint as manager, then he wants the next French wonderkid to follow him to the Bernabeu.

Not content with being one of the greatest footballers to ever play the game, Zidane took the top job at Real Madrid in 2016 and within a few years had become one of the most successful coaches in history.

The French World Cup winner led Los Blancos to three successive Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018, becoming only the seventh man to win the competition as both a player and manager.

In 2019, Zidane returned to the hot-seat just nine months after stepping down and oversaw the club's 34th La Liga title win.

However, his second managerial stint in the Spanish capital didn't end quite as well as the first. He stepped down at the end of a trophyless 2020/21 campaign and has been out of a job since.

The 50-year-old was widely believed to be next in line for the French national team job after the end of the 2022 World Cup, but the FFF instead decided to renew Didier Deschamps' contract.

There have been rumours he will end up at Paris Saint-Germain, but with Real Madrid falling off the pace in this season's title race and Carlo Ancelotti coming under pressure, it would take a brave individual to bet against Zizou pitching up at the Bernabeu for a third time.

According to Fichajes, Zidane is open to replacing his coaching mentor Ancelotti at the end of the season. Furthermore, if he does then he will make teenage French wonderkid Rayan Cherki his first signing.

Alamy

The Lyon attacking midfielder may only be 19, but he is already well acquainted with top level football. He made his senior debut back in 2019 when he was just 16, coming off the bench in a Champions League group stage tie. Los Blancos have made a habit of signing young French talents in recent years, bringing in teenage midfielder Eduardo Camavinga from Stade Rennais in 2021 and Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco last summer.

Both have become regular fixtures in the French national team since moving to Madrid, something that might persuade Cherki that the Bernabeu is the right place for him.

Topics: Carlo Ancelotti, France, La Liga, Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane, Football

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a Sports Trends Writer at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He enjoys running, cooking and watching non-league football.

@alex_brotherton