The reverberations from Zinedine Zidane’s shock resignation at Real Madrid are only just starting to be felt.
Plans laid out in the final months of 2017/18 between the legendary head coach and president Florentino Perez could now need to be ripped apart by whomever comes in as replacement.
This change of direction will have a profound impact on several members of a squad that only last weekend claimed its third-successive Champions League trophy.
Here, we run through who will be most impacted.
GARETH BALE
Champions League match-winner: Gareth Bale.
No one can question Bale’s sense of timing.
The Wales forward had stolen the headlines with a startling brace in Saturday’s Champions League final after a season in the shadows and he wasn’t wasting this opportunity to unload.
“I need to be playing week in, week out, and that’s not happened this season,” he told BT Sport.
The remarks would soon become sharper.
Bale added: “Obviously I was very disappointed not to start the game, I have deserved it but the manager makes the decisions.”
Everything then seemed to point inexorably towards the exit door. But Bale has been beaten to it by “the manager”.
A new man in charge could signal fresh opportunity for someone afforded just 27 starts in all competitions during 2017/18.
KARIM BENZEMA
What next for the Frenchman?
Benzema’s transformation into a figure of ridicule and frustration accelerated in 2017/18.
The former France striker struck just five times in 32 La Liga run-outs. These figures scarcely improve to 12 goals during 47 matches in all competitions.
This return would be unacceptable for a striker at Alaves, never mind the 13-time Champions League winners.
Yet, even in the darkest moment, Benzema always found an advocate in his countryman.
“People who like football have to like Benzema,” Zidane said in March.
Not the first, or certainly, only words of positivity delivered by the boss about his misfiring front man.
But now this safety net has been wrenched aside, what comes next for Benzema and will he be afforded the chance to complete a decade’s service at Santiago Bernabeu?
With the pressure to achieve almost unbearable for Zidane’s successor, the procurement of a prolific replacement seems inevitable.
ISCO
Midfield wizard: Isco.
A complex relationship between sublime playmakers from different generations was laid bare this spring.
“In Madrid, I don’t have the confidence a player needs,” Isco told Marca after his sublime hat-trick during March’s 6-1 humbling of Argentina by Spain.
“The matches with the national team give me life. Here, I have the confidence of the coach.”
Isco had been the revelation of Zidane’s reign, being granted a central role to shine during 2016/17’s run to La Liga and Champions League success. Yet, his form mirrored the teams’ in the next campaign – a poor beginning and a better end.
Murmurs of discontent placed the 26-year-old in the sights of Manchester City – rumours flatly rejected by head coach Pep Guardiola.
Remove the creative tension with Zidane and he could blossom again. Or, his struggles to be granted space tactically from the days of Carlo Ancelotti could be repeated.
Either way, Isco still remains at a crossroads.
KEYLOR NAVAS
Zidane has been loyal to Keylor Navas.
Loyalty has been a major facet of Zidane’s Madrid reign.
A repeat beneficiary of this stance has been Costa Rica goalkeeper Navas.
Perez foisted Athletic Bilbao’s Kepa Arrizzabalaga on the French supremo during January. The move was aborted.
Manchester United and Spain No1 David De Gea’s name has never been removed from Perez’s mind after 2015’s near miss. But Zidane has steadfastly refused to reignite this switch.
Even after errors, and there have been enough to cause consternation, his belief has not wavered.
“It is part of the game, he can make a mistake like everyone else,” Zidane told Marca after Navas’ woeful display in defeat at Real Betis in April 2017.
“At the end, he saved the game for us and I, like all of the players, are still in support of Keylor.”
A new supremo may have entirely different ideas.
The breakout of Roma and Brazil’s Alisson is sure to have impressed many. Belgium shot stopper Thibaut Courtois has not inked an extension at Chelsea, while bringing De Gea back to Spain’s capital is a long-held dream.
Navas may, finally, be on borrowed time.
CRISTIANO RONALDO
Record goalscorer: Cristiano Ronaldo.
There were to be no goals for Ronaldo in the latest Champions League final, but this triviality was not to stop football’s grand ego from stealing the spotlight.
“It was beautiful to be at Real Madrid,” the Portugal international told beIN Sports Spain in the aftermath. “The future of any Madrid player is not important; we have just made history.”
Instantly, the story became about the Ballon d’or holder’s future, rather than the club’s triumph.
Ronaldo may claim to feel 23-years old, but Zidane’s tactics helped protect and enhance a player whose official age is 33.
The 4-3-1-2 formation predominately utilised allowed Benzema to act as a foil up top, while Isco pulled the strings .
Will a new coach think the same way?
Ronaldo’s top speed has noticeably declined this term. He looked unusually ponderous in the Champions League showdown with Liverpool’s exceptional teenage right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Goals flew in 44 times during 44 matches across all competitions, thanks to a stellar 2018. But in La Liga before the winter break, he’d struck on just four occasions during 12 games.
Signs of a slowdown, no matter the extremes of the recovery.
The usual games to land a contract upgrade might fall on deaf ears under another manager. They – and Perez – might see fit to make Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar the new king of Santiago Bernabeu.
