Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane quits days after winning third Champions League title

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane quits after Champions League title run. (AP)

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane said Thursday he’s quitting after two and a half seasons with the club and leading them to their third straight Champions League title.

Zidane said he felt like it was the right time for him and the club to make a change.

“What I think is that this team needs to continue winning but I think it needs a change, a different voice, another methodology. And that's why I took this decision,” he said at a press conference.

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

The timing comes as a shock to many after Real Madrid defeated Liverpool, 3-1, in the Champions League final on Saturday.

“It's a strange moment to do so, I know, but an important one too," he said. "I had to do this for everyone.”

Zidane was hired in January 2016, his first major coaching job.

Real Madrid now is left scrambling to find its next manager. Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri and Italian coach Maruizio Sarri have been mentioned as possible replacements, according to BBC.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.