Real Madrid have reportedly begun negotiations with Zinedine Zidane over a contract renewal that includes a substantial pay rise for the French legend.
Real Madrid are not just one of the two most iconic football clubs in Spain but Los Blancos are also a brand in themselves. According to a study carried out by Social Scene, Real are second on the list of the hottest and most followed Spanish brands with 166,806,340 followers on social media.
But what will hurt Madrid fans is who beat them to the top spot, for it is none other than Barcelona that have beaten Real to the top spot, with 172,.992,696 followers, almost 6 million more than Los Merengues.
While Real Madrid are second in terms of Spanish brands, you will find the current La Liga table-toppers on fourth position in terms of popularity of global brands, behind the likes of Facebook, Barcelona and Nike. The rest of the brands are way behind the top four.
We all know Real Madrid fans are likely to hate the fact that they have been beaten by Barcelona in this sphere, they would be satisfied with their current standing in La Liga, where they are top of the table.
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One year with Zidane…? UEFA Champions League
? UEFA Super Cup
? FIFA Club World Cup#HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/m1sGWJHcv1— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) January 4, 2017
On to some news involving the squad – Zinedine Zidane has reportedly been offered a bumper pay rise and a contract renewal as the manager of Real Madrid, thanks in large owing to the massive success the club has achieved under the French legend.
El Confidencial are reporting that Zinedine Zidane is set to become one of the top-5 highest paid managers in the footballing world.
The Frenchman currently earns around €4.25 million a year and as the reports suggest, Real Madrid have offered him terms that will see Zidane pocket close to €8 million, if he does agree to the renewal. Florentino Perez is confident he will.
The confidence also arises from the speculation that Zidane has already started drafting the club’s next-season plans with his number two Jose Angel Sanchez and Perez. The news comes as all the fans around the world celebrate the completion of a successful year of Zidane’s reign.
Sticking to Zidane for another news, French publication L’Equipe (h/t AS) have named Los Blancos chief as the third most influential man in French football in a list of 30 people. The legend has been beaten by French national team coach Didier Deschamps and Atletico Madrid superstar Antoine Griezmann.
And, Deschamps, who has been named the most influential man in French football, had only positive words to say about Zidane’s successful start to his managerial career.
He said, “He took over Real Madrid in a difficult situation. The results are there to see and he manages the team very well. He could have started his managerial career at another club but Real Madrid is his home. It seems to me that he is really calm and relaxed. I am happy for him and his success and I know it is reciprocal.”
Well, we have all been taken aback by how dominating Real Madrid have been under Zidane and how the French legend has taken to managerial duties with aplomb.
On to some transfer stories related to Real Madrid, and the largest one is the one involving a cash plus player deal. Real have reportedly offered Juventus a whopping £77 million plus Alvaro Morata in exchange for Paulo Dybala, who is also being heavily courted by Barcelona.
18-year-old Penarol defender, Santiago Bueno, who has been on the radar of Los Blancos for a while, is now attracting interest from Barcelona and the Catalan outfit is reportedly set to submit a bid to Penarol for the Uruguayan.
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, who has long been linked with Real Madrid, is the subject of an outrageous €150 million offer from China, which has been offered to Borussia Dortmund. And, besides the transfer amount, the player has been offered terms that could see him pocket an annual salary of around €41 million.
