Winning the Champions League is what Real Madrid coaches will be judged on, it’s part of the club’s DNA and throughout their history they have won the tournament 13 times, however winning it in the same season as the LaLiga Santander title is something the club has often struggled with, with Zinedine Zidane one of just three coaches to do it.
On just three occasions Los Blancos have won the combination of both trophies in the same season, with it happening for the first time in 1956/57 and the second actually came the season after in 1957/58.
There was then an almighty gap until Zidane steered Los Merengues to comparable success in the 2016/17 season.
Now as we head into the climax of the 2020/21 campaign, Zidane can further etch his name in the history of Real Madrid, by winning both trophies once more, with his side qualified for the Champions League semi-final and well involved in the domestic title race.
Nobody has won four Champions Leagues… yet
Three matches stand between Real Madrid and a 14th Champions League and it would also represent Zidane‘s fourth as a coach. Nobody else has achieved such a feat, with Bob Paisley and Carlo Ancelotti tying with him on three.
In the semi-final he comes up against a resurgent Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel, who was involved in last season’s final.
LaLiga Santander defence
The third challenge of what seemed impossible for Zidane is to win back-to-back LaLiga Santander championships.
At one point behind Atletico Madrid, Los Merengues are back in the fight when at one point this season it looked as though they were going to meekly surrender their crown to their local rivals.
Not since 2008 with Bernd Schuster has a Real Madrid coach been able to defend the league title, and it’s worth noting that all three of Jose Mourinho, Ancelotti and Zidane himself have lived through disastrous seasons the year after a title.
