Zidane enjoying life away from football

Posted Monday, October 15, 2018 by Marca.com

Coach of Real Madrid from January 2016 until the last day of May 2018, citizen Zinedine Zidane is enjoying life in a way he hasn't been able to for the last 25 years.

For the first time, his relationship with football is nothing more than that of an unemployed coach, a circumstance that gives him the chance to know what it's like to have a family seven days a week and even to take advantage of weekends.

A voluntary withdrawal from the Frenchman has certainly had its advantages.

After spending a quiet summer away from the spotlight, the unemployed Zidane, has given way to Zizou, the father of the family.

He distributes his time and has found very different scenarios that he couldn't enjoy until this moment.

It doesn't mean that he doesn't worry about what happens in professional football, but now he also has time for everyday things.

Now he can do things as natural as spending a weekend in London taking advantage of 'The Best' awards, a trip to the mountains, see a football game in which any of his four children are playing, including at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano to see Rayo Majadahonda, or at Valdebebas, Logrono and Murcia.

He can go to the gym, have yoga classes in the centre of Madrid, walks through his neighbourhood and attendance at different charity events.

In these four and a half months, Zidane has had time to breathe, to put aside that tension that led him to say that it was best to give up the two years of his contract that he had left.

He's not looking for another job on a bench yet and is in no hurry to return to work.

He needed space and he is finding it.

Football is still there and he knows that when he wants to, he can go back to work, but he wants that moment to be when his body and mind is totally ready.

His residence is in the capital of Spain and three of his children are still playing at Real Madrid with the oldest at Rayo Majadahonda, so the rush to move away isn't there.

Zidane still identifies with Madrid but would like to be France coach one day, though he knows that this position is covered.

Manchester United remain interested but at the moment it won't happen.