Vicente del Bosque has sympathised with Zinedine Zidane over perceptions that he is a lucky coach and praised the Real Madrid boss' leadership qualities.
Following a decorated playing career at Santiago Bernabeu and a long apprenticeship coaching Madrid's youth teams, Del Bosque twice won LaLiga and the Champions League in an excellent four-year spell as head coach.
He went on to claim World Cup and European Championship glory in charge of Spain and retired after his defending champions bowed out at the last-16 stage of Euro 2016.
Enjoying life after football to the extent that he prefers to see matches on the television as opposed to attending stadiums, Del Bosque watched on with admiration as Zidane's Madrid established themselves at the top of LaLiga this season with a club-record unbeaten run, while adding the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup titles to last season's memorable Champions League triumph over Atletico Madrid.