Jupp Heynckes, coach of Bayern Munich, declared himself a "great admirer" of Zinedine Zidane, coach of Real Madrid, on the eve of their Champions League semi-final clash and pointed out the Frenchman as a "model coach".
"I have faced great colleagues like Arrigo Sacchi, Johan Cruyff, Marcelo Lippi, fantastic coaches, and now I am a big admirer of Zizou. I was as a player and now as a coach. What I like most about him is how he makes Real Madrid play since he manages it and how calm he is in the game," he said.
"He shows," he added, "that he is a person who does not express himself for public opinion or thinking about the cameras. He observes football from tranquility, as he is as a person. He is undoubtedly a model coach," he said.
The possibility that this duel against Real Madrid is the last of his long coaching career is on Heynckes' mind.
"For a coach, Real Madrid is a worthy rival to be the last of a career, but it was not my intention. I had already finished my career and it is extraordinary to return to the football stage, at an advanced age for a coach, with the privilege of succeeding by reaching the semi-finals and aiming for the final by eliminating a great rival of which I was a coach," he admitted.
And he highlighted the importance of the great European classic. "There have always been great duels between Bayern and Real Madrid, they have a great tradition and millions of people will watch it on TV with passion and joy, perhaps sadness, but these are the games for which a player prepares and the stellar moments of a coach's career, which many do not get to have. I appreciate it," he said.
That's why Bayern's coach is convinced that "both teams will delight with world-class players" and displaying "very attractive football". He expects "an open match without any favorite," although he confessed that he has "good feelings."
In his analysis of Real Madrid, Heynckes did not want to focus exclusively on the danger of Cristiano Ronaldo. "I respect the team and every player, Cristiano Ronaldo so far has had a unique career but the Champions League is won by the most homogeneous team and the one that plays better football," he said.
And in the face of Cristiano's danger, he responded with Robert Lewandowski. "One must not forget that we have Lewandowski, a forward who has scored 39 goals in official matches and could ask who is capable of eliminating a team with him. I am very happy with him, he has had an enormous goal rate, he is a player who always performs, gives everything for football and is always fit," he said.