Former Real Madrid boss Vicente del Bosque has revealed that he did not expect Zinedine Zidane to go into coaching one he had retired from professional football.
Zidane, who is now in charge of first-team affairs at the Bernabeu, played under Del Bosque at Madrid between 2001 and 2003.
Del Bosque has claimed that he did not envisage Zidane launching a coaching career, but the former midfielder has excelled at the Bernabeu, and will have the chance to lead his team to a third straight Champions League title this weekend.
"At that time, I did not believe he would turn into a head coach after starring as a player," Del Bosque told reporters. "Of course he was a player who had great, unlimited talent and while he struggled initially to adapt to Spanish football, in the end he settled in very well and excelled."
Zidane was in charge of Real Madrid Castilla for two years before replacing Rafael Benitez as head coach of the first team in early 2016.