The Zidane Anomaly: How Real Madrid Conquered Europe and Broke Football

In just three seasons, Real Madrid won an astounding nine trophies, led by a manager who had never coached a first team before. The question that echoed through the football world was simple: How on Earth was this even possible? This is the story of how Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid defied logic, expectation, and precedent to, quite literally, break European football. Their crowning achievement, a third consecutive UEFA Champions League title, was the culmination of a period of dominance that began amidst uncertainty and ended in legendary status.

The Pre-Zidane Era: A Trophyless Season and Rising Pressure

To understand how Real Madrid conquered Europe, we have to start in the 2014-15 season, when Carlo Ancelotti was the manager. This was an off-season for Real Madrid as they picked up no trophies, finishing two points off Barcelona in the league, losing the Champions League in the semis to Juventus, and getting knocked out in the round of 16 in the Copa del Rey. Despite finishing trophyless, Real Madrid were the highest-scoring team in Europe, playing amazing football, and Cristiano Ronaldo had his best individual season ever.

However, the thing about Real Madrid is that no matter how close they get, a trophyless season is not good enough, as the standards are nothing short of success. At this time, Barcelona were the best team in the world with the famous MSN Trio terrorizing Europe and leading them to a treble, which fueled more anger amongst the Real Madrid fan base. The team was also in a transitional phase this season, with Xabi Alonso and Di Maria both leaving and new players coming in like Kroos, Navas, and James Rodriguez. It was also during this season that Zinedine Zidane was placed in charge of the Real Madrid B team, as he was still learning the art of coaching. At the end of the 14-15 season, Carlo Ancelotti was dismissed, and the club appointed Rafa Benitez.

The Benitez Interlude and the Assembling of a Dynasty

The 2015-16 season saw the iconic Real Madrid team take shape even further, with Casemiro returning from loan, Kovacic and Asensio both signing, and exits from players like Casillas, Hernandez, and Khedira. All the tools were in place for a great team; they just needed a manager to guide them. They would soon realize that Rafa Benitez was not that man. He opened the league campaign with a goalless draw but went on to win the next four in a row, with Ronaldo yet again on fire, having scored five goals in a game against Espanyol.

But something just wasn't clicking. Late in September, they drew two games back-to-back, making for a rocky start. Despite this, Real Madrid were still heading into November first in La Liga until they would suffer their first and second losses of the season with a 3-2 defeat to Sevilla and a 4-0 El Clásico defeat to Barcelona. In the Copa del Rey, Madrid were disqualified for fielding a suspended player. In the Champions League, however, Real Madrid stormed the group stage, winning five and drawing one, including an 8-0 thrashing of Malmo. As the year turned, a 2-2 draw with Valencia saw them drop to third, and this is when Florentino Perez pulled the trigger, sacking Rafa Benitez midseason. It was announced that Zinedine Zidane would be promoted to first-team manager, a move initially received with a lot of criticism as he was a completely unproven coach.

The Zidane Era Begins: From Skepticism to a Champions League Final

The Zidane era opened with a 5-0 win over Deportivo, with a Gareth Bale hat-trick. One of the first things Zidane did was introduce Casemiro to the starting lineup, providing a crucial balance to the midfield. Zidane got off to a great start, but after a draw and a loss to Atletico Madrid at the end of February, the gap between Real Madrid and Barcelona had grown to 12 points. It felt like the league was done and dusted.

But this is where something switched. From the 2nd of March, Real Madrid went on to win every single game in La Liga, going on a 12-game winning streak. This included a 2-1 away win against Barcelona, which ended their 29-game unbeaten streak. By the time May came around, Real Madrid had salvaged their league position and were in with a chance to win it, taking the league to the final game of the season. They ultimately finished just one point behind Barcelona, but the league isn't where the magic happened this season.

A Historic European Campaign

Real Madrid were able to take home an even greater prize thanks to a historic Champions League campaign. They breezed past Roma in the round of 16, but it's the quarter-finals where things really got dramatic. Real Madrid played the first leg away at Wolfsburg and were beaten 2-0. But it's in these moments where the big players step up. Come the return fixture, the biggest player of them all, Cristiano Ronaldo, walked away with the match ball after a stunning hat-trick to send Madrid to the semi-finals against Manchester City. A goalless first leg and a 1-0 win in the second saw them land a spot in the final to face their city rivals, Atletico Madrid.

Zidane, just five months into the job, had transformed the team. With Keylor Navas in goal, a wall of Ramos and Pepe at the back, the dynamic Marcelo and Carvajal on the flanks, and a perfectly balanced midfield of Casemiro, Kroos, and Modric, the stage was set for the attacking trio known as "BBC": Bale, Benzema, and Cristiano. The final was a war. Ramos gave Real an early lead, and though Griezmann missed a penalty for Atletico, they clawed it back to 1-1 with a late equalizer. The game went to a penalty shootout. After Juanfran missed for Atletico, it was Ronaldo to win the Champions League, and he did. Real Madrid had won the Champions League for the 11th time. Ronaldo finished the tournament with 16 goals and the season with 51, which also landed him the Ballon d'Or.

The Double: Conquering Spain and Europe

Entering his first full season in charge, Zinedine Zidane was still receiving criticism. Doubters said the increased expectations would cause his team to crumble. The opposite happened. With Marco Asensio returning from loan and Alvaro Morata signing, the squad had more depth. Zidane started to lose trust in Bale due to injuries, leading to more rotations.

The season began with a Super Cup victory and strong momentum in La Liga. A brief stumble with four draws in a row was quickly rectified as they thumped Real Betis 6-1 and carried on winning. A significant 3-0 victory over Atletico Madrid, with a Ronaldo hat-trick, highlighted their dominance. In December, they won the Club World Cup. By January, they had broken Barcelona's Spanish record with a 40-game unbeaten streak.

Back-to-Back European Glory

In the Champions League, they navigated the knockout stages with authority. After comfortably dispatching Napoli, they faced Bayern Munich in a controversial quarter-final, eventually winning 6-3 on aggregate after a Ronaldo hat-trick in the second leg. They then faced their favorite opponents, Atletico Madrid, in the semis, winning the tie to set up a final against Juventus. During this time, a 2-0 victory over Malaga on the final day sealed the La Liga title. With one game left, Real Madrid had the opportunity to do what no team had ever done: win back-to-back Champions Leagues in the modern era.

In the final, Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring. Though Mandzukic equalized with a wonder goal, Madrid's ruthlessness shone through in the second half. Goals from Casemiro, another from Ronaldo, and a late strike from Asensio sealed a dominant 4-1 victory. Zidane was named the world's best coach as Real Madrid cemented themselves as the best team in Europe yet again.

The Three-Peat: A Legacy Like No Other

Season three. Surely they can't go three in a row, right? The 17-18 season saw them struggle in the league, eventually finishing third. But this season wasn't about domestic trophies. In the Champions League, they faced their hardest route yet. They defeated the champions of France (PSG), Italy (Juventus), and Germany (Bayern Munich) to reach the final against Liverpool.

The quarter-final against Juventus was historic. A 3-0 away win featured one of the greatest goals in the competition's history: a bicycle kick from Cristiano Ronaldo that earned a standing ovation from the opposition fans. Despite a scare in the second leg, a last-minute Ronaldo penalty sent them through. In the final, a disastrous night for Liverpool's goalkeeper and a moment of genius from Gareth Bale, who scored his own incredible bicycle kick just minutes after coming on as a substitute, secured a 3-1 victory.

Just like that, Zidane's men lifted their third Champions League in a row, completing the three-peat and leaving a legacy like no other.

The End of an Era

Despite the historic victory, the aftermath brought shocking change. Right after the match, Ronaldo hinted at leaving and soon departed for Juventus. But the most surprising move came a couple of weeks later, when Zinedine Zidane announced he was stepping down as manager. His departure marked the end of a dynasty, a brief, brilliant, and almost unbelievable period where a novice coach and a team of legends broke European football.