Madrid got the real deal when Zinedine Zidane stepped in

When Zinedine Zidane took over as Real Madrid coach just 17 months ago, and almost immediately started winning matches, the local media quickly labelled him a ‘lucky manager’.

A Spanish phrase suggesting Zidane had a flower stuck in a certain part of his body [which brought him luck] was widely used as fans and pundits in Madrid, and in Catalonia, thought the big name player but rookie coach had just fallen on his feet.

But the Frenchman now goes into tonight’s final against Juventus with the chance to make history by guiding the team to back-to-back Champions League victories, and with a growing realisation that nobody could do a better job in charge of Madrid.