Real Madrid Next Manager: 5 Potential Replacements For Zinedine Zidane

If ever another example of the club's relentless pursuit to be the best was needed, consider this: Zinedine Zidane won three consecutive Champions League titles with Real Madrid and yet, as of this afternoon, has left the Spanish giants.

That leaves a gaping hole Real will want to fill quickly, but who is best-placed to supplant Zizou in what is maybe footy's most pressurised job? The bookies are already having their say and taking bets on who will stroll into the hot seat at the Santiago Bernabéu before the new season kicks off.

Will it be an old-stager looking to steady the ship? Perhaps, but playing it safe is hardly the Madrid way. This is a club who once decided against renewing Vincente del Bosque's contract in 2003 despite the fact he'd won the Spanish league title one day before and led the club through its most successful period since the 1960s.

Risk-taking is part of Real's fabric, and yet the chosen candidate must win quickly. There's no other option when it comes to Madrid. Finishing 17 points behind Barcelona in the La Liga table last season was unacceptable to those in charge, and seizing back control of the title (whilst simultaneously maintaining success in Europe) will be the new boss's main challenge...