Zinedine Zidane returns to Real Madrid as new manager; Santiago Solari sacked

Real Madrid has sacked their manager Santiago Solari following a string of disappointing results and in his place returns former boss Zinedine Zidane.

The English translation of the official statement on Real Madrid's website reads, "The Board of Directors of Real Madrid, meeting today, Monday, March 11, 2019, has decided to terminate the contract that linked Santiago Solari with the club as coach of the first team. Real Madrid appreciates the work done by Santiago Solari and the commitment and loyalty he has always shown to this house."

"The Board of Directors has also agreed the appointment of Zinedine Zidane as the new coach of Real Madrid with immediate incorporation for the remainder of the season and the next three, until June 30, 2022. The president of Real Madrid will appear today with Zinedine Zidane before the media at 8:00 pm in the press room of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium," the official statement further read.

The last couple of weeks have been one of the worst run of games in their recent for the club based out of the Spanish capital. The Los Blancos started with a 1-2 loss to Girona at home which was the first of four successive defeats at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Their next game was an El Clasico in the second leg of the Copa Del Rey semifinal. Real was coming into the game level with Barcelona after the first leg finished 1-1 at the Camp Nou and even had the advantage of an away goal. But they capitulated to a 0-3 defeat at the hands of their bitter rivals. In their very next game, the Los Blancos had a chance to avenge their previous result as Barcelona once again visited the Spanish capital, this time for a La Liga clash. Even in this game, Real lost courtesy a first-half goal by Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic.

What followed trumped the disappointment of these three games combined as Real got knocked out of the Champions League at home by a young Ajax side. The hosts were not just defeated by the Dutch side, they were humiliated and even a 1-4 scoreline was a let-off for the three-time defending champions.

In the wake of these disappointing results, the Los Blancos called upon one of the most successful managers of recent times, Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman stepped down from the helm at the Bernabeu at the end of last season. His spell at the Spanish capital saw Real Madrid win three consecutive Champions League titles and in the process, they became the first team in the competition's history to win the trophy in successive seasons.

Zidane also won the La Liga once in his time at Real Madrid in the 2016-17 season. Apart from the two major trophies, under Zidane's watch, Real Madrid also won the Copa Del Rey (2017), the UEFA Super Cup (2016, 2017) and the FIFA Club World Cup (2016, 2017). His Champions League victories came in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Zidane's appointment makes him Real Madrid's third manager this season after Santiago Solari was brought in to replace Julen Lopetegui in October 2018.