Real Madrid Castilla boss and Los Blancos legend Zinedine Zidane has finally been awarded his UEFA Pro coaching badges, he has revealed.
On his official Instagram account, the former mercurial attacking midfielder revealed he had got the badges that allow him to coach at the highest level.
“Very proud to have received my coaching diploma. Mission accomplished,” he wrote.
The qualification is significant for Zidane after he was banned in the autumn by the Spanish FA for not holding the right badges. Real Madrid contested the back, and Zidane argued that the qualifications he held at the time were from France, and different to the ones that the Spanish authorities officially recognise.
The ban was overturned and he was able to resume his duties coaching Madrid’s second team.
The timing of the announcement is intriguing, with plenty of speculation surrounding Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti. Although he and club president Florentino Perez deny the Italian will be leaving this summer, neither has been particularly convincing when asked to give assurances he’ll still be in the dugout when the new season begins.
Zidane has long been touted as the successor to Ancelotti and now he has he badges, he could step up to the top job at the Santiago Bernabeu sooner rather than later.
