Real Madrid Fires Rafa Benitez, Appoints Football Legend Zinedine Zidane As The New Head Coach

by Diana Tomale / Jan 06, 2016 01:12 PM EST

Former football player Zinedine Zidane is the new team coach of Real Madrid. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno / Getty Images)

Real Madrid has appointed former star player Zinedine Zidane as the new head coach of the team after it fired Rafa Benitez, who was the team's head coach for the last seven months. Club President Florentino Perez made the announcement on Monday, as per Korea Joongang Daily Wednesday.

"We have to do our best so that the team is able to win something," Zidane said. "I'm going to put all my heart into Real Madrid."

43-year-old Zidane is a retired football player who used to play for the France national team, as well Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus and Real Madrid. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Golden Jubilee Poll named the attacking midfielder as the best European footballer in the past 50 years.

Zidane started his football career at a very young age of 14 with the AS Cannes. After staying there for four years, he was transferred to Girondins de Bordeaux before he joined UEFA Champions League winners Juventus.

In 2001, he signed a four-year contract with Real Madrid. He helped the team score a victory at the 2002 UEFA Champions League Finals against Bayer Leverkusen. He also played a vital role in Real Madrid's success in the 2002-2003 run of La Liga.

Zidane retired from playing football in 2006 after his contract with Real Madrid expired.

The newly appointed Real Madrid coach expressed his gratitude for the opportunity given to him by his former team which he branded as the "best club in the world with the best fanbase in the world," as reported by BBC Tuesday.

"I want to do my very best to ensure that this club at the end of the season will have a trophy. It is an important day for me, it's an emotional day, even more emotional than the day I signed as a player for the club," he said.

He added, "I will be working hard with all the players and I think it will go well. I will put all the heart I have into this job for the club. Thank you very much."

Reports revealed that Zidane's first match as Real Madrid's head coach will be against Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain.