Following Real Madrid’s disappointing showing against Juventus in the Champions League, Carlo Ancelotti’s future appears to be up in the air.
The iconic coach may have brought La Decima—the tenth European Cup—to the Bernabeu, but his side are off the pace in La Liga this season.
Similarly, Real’s dismal performance in the second half against Juve on Wednesday evening has prompted much consternation among Merengues fans.
In this feature, we profile five men who may replace the Italian coach should he be offloaded this summer.
Zinedine Zidane
It has long appeared as though the Real Madrid legend is being groomed for the top job in the Spanish capital.
Zidane, a club icon, Champions League winner and principle protagonist of the Galacticos era, is already a key man within the coaching team.
He is currently Ancelotti’s assistant and has previously worked with the club’s young players.
Barcelona have enjoyed great success after appointing former players such as Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique, and while it appears inevitable that Real will follow suit with Zizou, is it too soon for the World Cup-winner to take the top job?
Jurgen Klopp
German coach Jurgen Klopp achieved great things at Borussia Dortmund.
While things have tailed off this season, the manager will always be remembered as the man who brought two Bundesliga titles to the Rhine region and also saw Dortmund re-establish themselves as a force in the Champions League.
Who can forget their magnificent run to the final in 2013?
Klopp has confirmed that he is leaving the club this summer, and would surely jump at the chance of managing Real.
Will the club be tempted by the coach who helped developed so many great players at the Westfalenstadion, or will this season’s decline dissuade Florentino Perez from turning to the German?
Fernando Hierro and Raul
If Real do decide to go down the ‘former player’ route, then a partnership of Fernando Hierro and Raul may well be a tempting option for Perez.
The latter, in particular, has made no secret of his desire to coach Real one day and is already undertaking coaching duties at Cosmos New York as he attempts to learn the ropes.
While the star striker may well struggle to resist the president’s advances, would it be too soon for the player to take such a major job?
Hierro, who is currently part of the club’s coaching staff, won three Champions League crowns and five La Liga championships with the club.
Rafael Benitez
Spanish boss Rafael Benitez reportedly has several admirers at Real Madrid.
The coach of course achieved so much against Valencia at the beginning of the last decade, and helped Liverpool to their fifth Champions League title in 2005.
Admittedly, his stock fell at Inter Milan, but he demonstrated dignity in the face of adversity at Chelsea—winning the Europa League in the process—and has guided Napoli to both the Italian Cup and the Italian Super Cup.
He may well be eyeing the Europa League with the Naples side again this year.
Benitez was also born in Madrid, previously played for the Castilla and managed the club’s B team for two years.
Roberto Mancini
Mancini’s name may be a dirty word in the Premier League these days, but the former Italy international has great experience of both winning titles and dealing with big-name players, two things which may well appeal to Perez.
He won three Serie A titles and two Italian Cups during his first stay at Inter Milan, took Manchester City to the FA Cup in 2011, and the Premier League crown a year later, and also dealt with the intensity and the expectations of Galatasaray’s fans.
However, how much would the Italian’s relative lack of success in Europe count against him?