Santiago Solari in the footsteps of Zinedine Zidane? Team player of the French in the Real Madrid "Galactic" then train like him on the reserve, the Argentine technician took temporarily on Monday the head of the first team, in crisis since the departure of "ZZ". Here are five things to know about Solari's course.
He played with Zidane at Real
Santiago Hernan Solari played five years at Real (2000-2005) including four alongside Zidane, who arrived in 2001, in the midst of the "Galactiques" , these global football stars united under the merengue jersey. And the two men often combined on the left wing, where the middle or Argentine winger played the pistons.
Real Madrid. Julen Lopetegui officially fired, Santiago Solari will take over
It is also on an action initiated by Solari and continued by Roberto Carlos that "Zizou" scored one of the finest goals in the history of the Champions League, his famous volley against Leverkusen during the In addition, the two men share the same admiration for former Uruguayan striker Enzo Francescoli.
In total, Solari played 167 games and scored 16 goals with Real, winning seven titles: a Champions League, an Intercontinental Cup, a European Supercup, two Spanish Championships and two Spanish Supercups.
He wore the colors of Atlético
Born in Rosario, Argentina, Solari became known with River Plate, winning the Libertadores Cup in 1996. In 1999 he crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Spain and Madrid ... Atlético!
There, the Argentine midfielder lives a season of sad memory for the "Colchoneros" with a descent into the second division. Real then paid the amount of its release clause in 2000, the last transfer date between the two clubs in Madrid, then bound by a tacit agreement of non-aggression, until the transfer of French Theo Hernandez to the Real in 2017.
He comes from a football family
At Solari, football is a family tradition. Santiago's father, Eduardo Solari, played in Argentina. His brothers David and Esteban also had a career in football, as did his cousin Augusto. As for Uncle Jorge Solari, nicknamed "El Indio" (The Indian) when he was playing, he shined like coach globe-trotter, passed by Mexico, the selection of Saudi Arabia or the Spanish club of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. It was this uncle who earned Santiago Solari his nickname: "El Indiesito" , the Little Indian.
He was the "sexiest player" of 2002
In 2002, the title of the Champions League, Solari receives another trophy ... a little less academic: the most sexy football player of the year 2002 granted by the subscribers of the Spanish channel Canal +. "I thank the people who voted for me. It's sure, it's rigged. We'll see if they offer me a career in the cinema when I retire, " reacted the Argentine to the long hair brown, hilarious. "I never look at myself in the mirror. The bottom line is that I like my girlfriend. "
He made his scales with the Castilla
Like Zidane, Solari chose to stay in football after the end of his career: a time columnist of the Spanish daily El Pais, he trained as a coach in beginner with young Real. He led the club's cadets, then the juniors, before taking over the reins of Real Madrid Castilla, the B merengue team, in the summer of 2016, six months after the promotion of his predecessor Zidane (2014-2016) to the head of the first team.
On the bench of the reserve, Solari had a mixed first season finished in 8th place of her pool of 20 clubs in Segunda B (third division). But it started better this year, with a 4th place after 10 days at three points of the head.