Former Real Madrid player Christian Karembeu has tipped Zinedine Zidane to become the best manager in the club's history with a third successive Champions League win on Saturday night.
Zidane has never been eliminated as a manager in Europe and has won two Champions League trophies and a La Liga title during his two years as Madrid boss.
The final could be pivotal in the future of Zidane, but Karembeu has no doubts over the managerial prowess of the 45-year-old.
"When we were playing he wanted things to be perfect on the pitch," Karembeu told reporters.
"To deliver good passes, good actions and to work hard. When he became a manager you could still see that inside of him - what he delivers to his players and how he inspires them. Not just because of his aura, it's what he implements every day. Exercises, theories and what he thinks about the game. He's a winner, a perfectionist. Nobody has done that before (won three Champions League titles in succession). He would be the No 1 manager in Madrid's history. The club have always broken records and maybe Zizou will do it.
"I am a Real Madrid fan and a former player so I would like Zidane to make the record by winning three times in a row. It would give them the dimension of the biggest club in the world, but they have a real adversary in front of them with Liverpool. They are very dangerous with Salah, [Sadio] Mane and [Roberto] Firmino. Nobody was expecting them (to make the final), but the way they play is fantastic. Through the qualifiers they won with their own way of playing, with speed and efficiency in front of the goal. By winning many games the trust and confidence comes through the team and that's why they have delivered great performances."
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Matthew Jones
