Real Madrid C.F. Fire Rafael Benitez, Hire Zinedine Zidane as Head Coach?

Real Madrid C.F. has done what many thought they would, just perhaps a little sooner than expected. On Monday, they fired one of Europe's most experienced coaches in Rafael Benitez, who had spent only seven months on the job--his contract was good for 3 years--and replaced him with a man that has never coached in any of Europe's top leagues: Zinedine Zidane.

For those of you who aren't super familiar with Zidane, know this: he's one of the best players of all time. The French international won both a World Cup and a Champions League title (with Real Madrid, no less) as a player. Known for his mesmeric close control of the ball and incredible vision to read the game, Zidane dominated matches from his position in the center of midfield.

In 2001, he made the move from Juventus to Real Madrid in a record deal, where he remained until he retired from the game. And while Zidane is regarded as one of the best players to ever play the game, he's relatively unaccomplished as a coach.

He began coaching Castilla, Real Madrid's B team, in 2014, after spending a year on the first-team bench as an assistant to Carlo Ancelotti, the manager at the time. Zidane's time in charge of Castilla--a team used to foster younger talent, and young star signings not yet ready for the first team--was less than extraordinary, as Zidane failed to see his side promoted from Spain's third division.

However, Benitez had been under increasing pressure after Madrid fell off the league pace (although, they are still just four points behind the leaders, which goes to show how ridiculously high the standards are at the club), and were ousted from the Copa del Rey. 

Florentino Perez, Real Madrid's longstanding president, made the move to fire Benitez and hire Zidane after they tied Valencia on Sunday, according to The New York Times. The result left them in third place in the league, 2 points behind Barcelona (who has played one fewer game), and 4 points behind league leaders, Atletico Madrid.