Zidane reveals Real Madrid stars stopped training just to watch a 'phenomenon'

Zinedine Zidane recently shared some notable insights in an interview with L’Equipe (France). The former midfielder and head coach of Real Madrid revealed that he and his teammates once "stopped playing football" just to watch a special player train because he was so exceptional.

Zidane was one of the early "Galacticos" to join Real Madrid in the early 2000s. He made history for the Spanish Royal Club by scoring the decisive goal in the 2001–02 Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen.

After retiring, the French strategist had two spells managing Real Madrid and helped the club win three consecutive Champions League titles from 2015–2018, an unprecedented achievement in the modern era.

Although known for being calm and rarely affected by external factors, "Zizou" admitted that even he was amazed by the talent of Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazario.

Zidane and Ronaldo played together at Real Madrid from 2002 to 2006. Although Ronaldo joined the club when he was no longer at his peak form like during his Inter Milan days, he still managed to score 104 goals in 177 appearances for the Spanish side.

Speaking to L’Equipe, Zidane said about Ronaldo: “He remains unique. I was fortunate to play alongside him for a long time at Real Madrid. He truly was an 'Alien'. Everything about him was special, and he was also very friendly and humorous. Everyone wanted to be his friend.

But you had to see him train to really understand. It was unbelievable. There were players who stopped just to watch him practice. It was as beautiful as watching an official match.”

Zidane also mentioned that he had similar feelings when he transitioned to the role of head coach at Real Madrid. He recalled quietly observing Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Karim Benzema during training without needing to say anything. He added:

“It’s during training sessions that you truly see the great players. I just stood and watched Modric, Kroos, Cristiano, or Benzema train. There was nothing to say except to observe them. They are so talented and professional. They rarely lose the ball.

That also motivated me as a coach, to work with players of such a very, very high level. I felt the same passion for football as when I was playing. I played alongside extraordinary players and also coached extraordinary players. That’s what makes you better.”

Despite having great success as a coach, Zidane left Real Madrid in 2021 and has not accepted any coaching position since. However, he is seen as a potential candidate to replace Didier Deschamps for the French national team after the 2026 World Cup. Previously, Zidane also admitted his desire to one day become the head coach of the French national team.