Madrid boss Zidane doesn't even reach the top of Guardiola's shoes
Lluís Mascaró doesn't understand why so much fuss is being made of the French coach
Real Madrid have matched the 16-game winning streak in La Liga which Barcelona produced in 2010-11. Although with a nuance: they've done it over two seasons. Twelve wins in the 2015-16 season and four in the 2016-17 campaign. Although that doesn't matter to the media. They twist the numbers to their own interests to commit a footballing crime: comparing Zinedine Zidane to Pep Guardiola.
The reality is that Zidane doesn't even reach the top of Guardiola's shoes. Away from the anecdote of 16 successive wins, the honours and the influence Pep has had place him way above the Frenchman. I'll start with an irrefutable premise: Guardiola has been (is) a better manager than player. In fact, he's the best manager in history. Zidane could never match in management the excellence he achieved as a player (superior to Pep, for sure). No matter how much they insist in Madrid...
If we are talking of titles, the difference is huge. Guardiola won 14 competitions with Barça: 3 Ligas, 2 Champions Leagues, 2 Club World Cups, 2 Copas del Rey, 3 Spanish Super Cups and 2 European Super Cups. In addition to that he won a unique and unrepeatable six trophies in one calendar year. And with Bayern Munich he won seven titles: 3 Bundesligas, 2 Cups, 1 European Super Cup, 1 Club World Cup. That's 21 trophies compared to Zidane's two (1 Champions League and 1 European Super Cup).
But if we are talking about influence in football, the gap becomes even bigger. Pep created the best Barça in history, a Barça admired across the world. A Barça which was a universal reference for understanding football. As for Zidane, the only thing he's done until now is play with the BBC and make a mess with James and Isco. Please, the comparisons are tedious. And, on this occasion, disgraceful.
