The former Galactico was thrilled by Real's penalty victory over Atletico.
Real Madrid handed Atletico Madrid another cruel Champions League final defeat when Cristiano Ronaldo's spot kick saw them beat their neighbours on penalties to win Europe's top club trophy for a record 11th time on Saturday. Real's former playmaker Zinedine Zidane was left to celebrate winning Europe's elite club competition five months after starting his first coaching job and become the seventh man to claim the trophy as both a player and a manager.
While there was sympathy galore for Atletico’s Diego Simeone, many congratulations poured in Zinedine Zidane who became the 7th individual to win the Champions League as a coach and player.
Post winning the UCL, Zidane said: “At the end, getting the Champions League is the best along with winning the World Cup," said the Frenchman, a world champion in 1998. After all the work we did I am very proud, it has been a phenomenal job. I'm happy because I've been part of this great club for a long time now. I feel really very proud."
"The future? We'll see, now let's enjoy this," he added. "Of course I dreamed. You always have to dream, think positive, be optimistic, and know that things can get done with work and effort.
"I'm very happy for everything we've achieved together. It's not easy at all. We've really worked hard, fought it out. "When you have players of this calibre, with this talent, you can achieve something big like we have tonight."
While tributes poured in the for the Real Madrid legend, one stood out as former teammate and galactico wrote on Instagram: “Congratulations my friend this couldn't have happened to a nicer and more passionate person... Hala Madrid.
With Cristiano Ronaldo clearly not match fit, Real's win owed more to the gutsy determination of defensive midfielder Casemiro and man of the match Sergio Ramos than the flair players Perez loves to recruit. Zidane never tires of stressing the value of hard work and his team selections reflect that, sidelining the likes of James Rodriguez and Isco, players overflowing with talent but reluctant to dig in and help the team out defensively.
Beckham and Zidane train together during their Real Madrid days (Getty Images)
Another key to Zidane's early success with Real has been to create a happy atmosphere among a squad that never bonded with predecessor Benitez. "There is a very good feeling between us and Zidane, he has brought happiness, hope, humility and hard work," Ramos said. Zidane added: "What I've brought to Real is my positive attitude. I believe in hard work, we already have a lot of quality in the team. But work is more important than quality."
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