The only thing missing, the sole disappointment, was that Zinedine Zidane did not conclude his final news conference as manager of Real Madrid by lifting the microphone from the desk in front of him and dropping it to the floor. His natural reticence denied him the emphatic finale he deserved.
In January 2016, when Florentino Pérez, Real Madrid’s bombastic president, presented Zidane to the world as Rafael Benítez’s replacement, few believed the decision would prove wise.
Pérez himself had doubts: A few months earlier, he had hoped Zidane — then coach of Castilla, the club’s B team — would accept an offer to take charge of Marseille, his hometown team.