The Spanish goalkeeper has noticed similarities between the Frenchman and the former Blancos boss, as the club prepare for a new era

Iker Casillas says Real Madrid's newly-returned coach Zinedine Zidane reminds him of Vicente del Bosque while praising him for his work in the Santiago Bernabeu hot seat.

The Frenchman was re-installed as the club's permanent manager in March, less than a year after he originally left his post.

Zidane guided Madrid to three consecutive Champions League titles during his first two-and-a-half-year stint at the helm, while also winning one La Liga title.

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He was brought back to oversee the senior squad following a dismal run of results under Santiago Solari, who was dismissed after succeeding Julen Lopetegui just five months prior.

The Blancos have won both of their matches since Zidane's return, most recently securing a hard-fought 3-2 win over Huesca on Sunday.

Casillas, whose status as a Madrid legend was cemented over the course of a 16-year spell at the Bernabeu, has hailed Zidane for his impact at the club, comparing him to a former great.

"Making the jump from player to a manager isn’t easy, it’s not easy at all," the Porto goalkeeper said of his former Madrid team-mate. "When you’ve been the best, one of the best of all time, something we’ve all seen out on the pitch, making that move seems like it should be easy but we’ve seen so many cases in which it hasn’t worked out that way.

"Zidane always seems to be in control of the situation. He’s also a young coach who’s in touch with his players, he’s happy for them to be the stars.

"When I see him at press conferences he reminds me of Vicente del Bosque.

"Vicente was never the kind of coach who wanted the spotlight, he was happy leaving it to the players.

"When he was our coach at Real Madrid between 2000 and 2004 he was like that and Zidane to me is very similar."

Vicente del Bosque Spain Georgia WC Qualifier

Del Bosque won the Champions League twice during a four-year stint as Madrid's manager, along with two La Liga titles and the UEFA Super Cup.


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Zidane has already surpassed the Spaniard's achievements in the highly-coveted role, but the size of the task facing him ahead of the 2019-20 campaign is far greater than it was a year ago.

Madrid are destined to finish the current season trophyless, having suffered an early Champions League exit at the hands of Ajax, while also falling way behind Barcelona in the race for domestic honours.

The reigning European champions are 13 points off the pace in La Liga, with securing a runners-up spot ahead of Atletico Madrid now their top priority come May.