Zidane the footballer was one of the most gifted technical players of the last fifty years, and one of the most beautiful to watch, elegant to the point that he looked like he was dancing on the ball. 

Now that his coaching career is off the ground, however, many wonder whether Zidane the manager... is up to it.  

Problem is, a number of worrying character traits spring to mind: Zidane was hardly a leader in the dressing room. He barely spoke, becoming the top dog on the pitch through his sheer skill, and his class.

An educated, kind man, one would have taken Zidane to be not merely docile, but even compliant. Trouble is, he would lose his rag, too, and would be unable to control himself. The numbers speak for themselves: 13 seasons, 14 sendings off. If everyone remembers him attacking Marco Materazzi in the World Cup Final, who can forget the other headbutt, the one that floored Jochen Kientz against Hamburg (Juventus lost 3-1) in Champions League play, or the time he stamped on an opponent against Saudi Arabia in the 1998 World Cup?
Quiet, yet mad, violent yet very calm: a transcendetal player with a particular character. Strange, veering between extremes. Who knows whether he's the right man to run Real Madrid, where being a fine tactician is but one of the many facets of the job. Beyond what goes on on the pitch, there are the fans, the egos, the club, the pressure... and it's not as if the results don't matter! 

 

We'll follow him with interest and a sympathetic eye, because we're grateful for all that he showed us with the ball at his feet. We'd like to find out if he can be a great manager. We'd like to understand, basically, if the last ten years have made him a tad less quiet... and a tad less crazy. Because a coach needs to speak to players, not headbutt them.