REPORT: Rafa Benitez didn’t know he’d been sacked until Zinedine Zidane was named boss

Real Madrid did not inform Rafa Benitez of his dismissal before announcing his replacement, according to Spanish reports.

The former Liverpool and Inter Milan boss first realised he had been axed when the club announced that Zinedine Zidane had been appointed to the job, according to a report in Marca. Benitez had been called in for a meeting with club president Florentino Perez on Monday, but opted not to go the stadium in order to avoid paparazzi. Benitez was told that no decision over his future had been made at this point, according to the report. Upon hearing that the Zidane family were all present at the Bernabeu, the Spaniard realised that he was out of a job.