Gareth Bale speaks frankly about Zidane’s coaching style.

Former striker Gareth Bale has revealed some candid truths about how things worked under Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid during one of the club’s most successful periods in history.

Gareth Bale speaks frankly about Zidane’s coaching style.
In the latest episode of “Stick to Football,” familiar guests Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane, Ian Wright, and Jill Scott chatted with Bale, a five-time Champions League winner.

The former Welsh international spoke about the pressure of playing for Real Madrid and the experience of working with Zidane – the first coach in history to win three consecutive Champions League titles.

According to Bale, managing a big club like Real Madrid requires a very special type of coach. He even mentioned Xabi Alonso’s recent dismissal when discussing this topic.

“I wasn’t surprised when Xabi Alonso was sacked by Real Madrid. If you try to think too much about tactics at Real… the most important thing is to be good at managing people. You have to keep the players happy and give them the freedom to do what they do best on the pitch,” Bale shared.

Bale then mentioned Carlo Ancelotti and Zidane, two of Real Madrid’s most successful coaches, as exemplary role models.

Bale believes Zidane isn’t very good at tactics.
“Ancelotti? He’s like your best friend. But he also has a ‘switch’: if you train badly, he’ll yell at you to your face, no matter who you are. The same goes for halftime. But he has the perfect balance.”

Carlo knows how to manage people better than anyone. Even when you’re not playing, he still makes you feel like you’re one of his closest friends. Carlo has the ability to keep the team’s morale positive and create the conditions for the team to function well,” Bale continued.

However, what surprised many was when Bale spoke about Zidane’s coaching methods. 

“Zidane as a coach? To be honest, he didn’t do much,” Bale said. “We only discussed tactics a little before games against Barca or Bayern, about 15 minutes of defensive work. Beyond that, it was just ball control, shooting drills, and then we went home.”

Nevertheless, Bale believes Zidane still commands utmost respect due to his legendary playing career. He concluded: “He trains with the team, and even beat me a few times. He’s still in excellent physical condition.”