Zidane quits as Real Madrid coach after Champs League treble

Real Madrid’s Isco hugs coach Zinedine Zidane, right, after winning the Champions League Final soccer match between Real Madrid and Liverpool at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine, Saturday, May 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

MADRID — Coach Zinedine Zidane says he is quitting Real Madrid after two and a half seasons with the Spanish club.

The surprise announcement comes less than a week after Zidane led Madrid to its third straight Champions League title.

Zidane said Thursday he felt it was the right moment — for him and for the club — to make a change.

Zidane won nine titles as Madrid’s coach, including the three Champions Leagues, one Spanish League, one Spanish Super Cup, two UEFA Super Cups and two Club World Cups.

The 45-year-old Zidane was hired in January 2016 for what was his first major head-coaching job. The former star player arrived surrounded by doubts because of his lack of coaching experience but quickly surpassed expectations.