According to the Spanish newspaper, Zinedine Zidane has been coaxed back to the Real Madrid dugout in exchange for a reasonably affordable salary.
Zinedine Zidane's re-appointment as Real Madrid boss has given Los Merengues' fans something to shout about once more. They are right behind the return of a coach who won three Champions Leagues in his first spell at the helm and appears just the man to motivate a squad firmly in the doldrums. And those in charge of the club's coffers will also be pleased: Madrid have reportedly lured Zidane back to the Bernabéu for a price which, in today's market, is an eminently affordable outlay for a coach of his top-level standing.
Zidane reportedly on 12m plus add-ons at Real Madrid
According to the newspaper El Confidencial, the Frenchman is to earn a basic annual salary of 12 million euros as part of the three-year deal he was this week handed by club president Florentino Pérez, with that wage then topped up by a series of incentivised add-ons. For context, such a salary is only half the 24-million-euro yearly pay packet that Diego Simeone now picks up each year at city rivals Atlético Madrid.
Other big-name coaches linked with Madrid would in all likelihood have been significantly more expensive than Zidane. José Mourinho earned 20 million after tax at Manchester United, while the lower salaries earned by the likes of Mauricio Pochettino (10), Jürgen Klopp (8.5) and Max Allegri (8) would have been offset by the fact that they are currently in jobs, so Los Blancos would have had to compensate their respective clubs.
Zidane wage still represents significant pay rise
Zidane's salary is still well above anything he has previously earned at Madrid, however. When the 46-year-old was originally promoted from Castilla to the first team in 2016, he was given a deal worth 2.5 million euros a season, before netting a post-Undécima pay rise that took his wage to 5.5 million. By the time of his surprise resignation nine months ago, he had progressed to 7.5 million a year.