Zidane is heaven-sent, says Perez after Real Madrid win 34th La Liga crown
Real Madrid supremo Florentino Perez hailed head coach Zinedine Zidane as a blessing from heaven after the former France international guided the club to the 2020 La Liga title.
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Zidane’s comaptriot Karim Benzema was the star of the 2-1 win over Villareal at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium.
The veteran striker opened the scoring in the 29th minute and converted a second-half penalty before Vicente Iborra halved the deficit for the visitors.
“Hopefully he will be here with us for a long time,” said Perez who brought Zidane back as head coach in March 2019. “He is a blessing from heaven.”
Success
Zidane notched up his second La Liga title as a coach - and Madrid’s record-extending 34th - with a relentless winning streak after the resumption of football in Spain in June.
When the league was suspended as part of the Spanish government’s fight to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, Barcelona led the way. But 10 straight wins obliterated the challenge of the Catalans who dropped points in draws with Sevilla, Celta Vigo and Atletico Madrid.
Happy
"I'm not too expressive," Zidane said. "But inside, I am very happy. I always told you the league wasn't yet won but now it is, so you can see my most beautiful smile. We can be happy.
"The first title in 2017 was phenomenal but this one has a particular flavour," Zidane added. "After two months at home, we returned, we prepared ourselves in a different way. And we won a league, which is the most difficult thing to win. It comes from a lot of sacrifice."
The 2020 La Liga crown is Zidane’s 11th as a coach at Madrid. And the 48-year-old Frenchman can lead the team to another trophy before the end of the season.
Madrid travel to Manchester City next month for the second leg of the last-16 in the Uefa Champions League. If they overturn a 2-1 deficit, they will advance to an eight team mini-tournament in Lisbon.
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