Santiago Solari Named Permanent Real Madrid Coach Until 2021

Spanish giants Real Madrid named Santiago Solari as their first team coach until June 2021 on Tuesday. 42-year-old Argentine was handed the interim charge of the club after the sacking of former Spain coach Julen Lopetegui a fortnight back. After guiding Real Madrid to four successive teams, he was handed the role of the coach by the club management. Real beat Malilla 4-0, Valladolid 2-0, Plzen 5-0 and Celta Vigo 4-2 since Solari earned his chance. In those games, Real Madrid scored 15 goals and conceded two goals.

“The board of directors of Real Madrid C.F., which met today, 13 November 2018, has agreed to appoint Santiago Solari as first-team coach until 30 June 2021”, the official statement of Real Madrid read. Previous year’s Champions League winners Real are four points adrift leaders Barcelona in the Spanish La Liga.

Solari has played for over 150 games for Real Madrid as a player from 2000 to 2005 scoring 10 goals. He returned to the club as their youth coach. He then got promoted to take charge of the reserves in 2016. After several high-profile names were there in the reckoning, Solari pipped all to land the coveted job.

Just two months into the charge, Lopetegui was discharged of his managerial duties. Under Lopetegui, Los Blancos had won just four matches out of 10 league games and suffered a Champions League defeat to CSKA Moscow. Real’s 1-5 El Clasico defeat at the Nou Camp against Barcelona became the final last straw for him leading to his sacking.

Former Real coach Zinedine Zidane had stepped down as the manager after a successful two-and-a-half year spell winning nine trophies including three back-to-back Champions League titles.