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Real Madrid reward Solari with permanent contract

Interim Real Madrid manager Santiago Solari was appointed permanent coach on Monday after overseeing a startling upturn in the European champions' fortunes since he stepped in to replace Julen Lopetegui.

Real Madrid reward Solari with permanent contract
Photo: AFP

“Everything is in order. Real Madrid have worked out his contract and there are no problems,” the Spanish football federation stated.   

Solari has led Real to four wins out of four since being installed on a caretaker basis following Lopetegui's abrupt sacking last month.   

And with 15 goals scored and only two conceded he has established the best ever start for a Real manager.

After thrashing Melilla in the Copa del Rey, they won 5-0 away to Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League, between victories over Real Valladolid and Celta Vigo in La Liga.

The upturn has left Madrid only four points adrift of league leaders Barcelona and on the brink of qualification for the last 16 in Europe.   

Solari, who spent five years playing for Real, was promoted from his role in charge of Castilla, the club´s B team, after Lopetegui had overseen a miserable run that included just one victory in seven games.

The last of those, a 5-1 thumping at the hands of Barcelona, proved the final straw for club president Florentino Perez but the team have rebounded under their new coach.

Solari is Perez's 13th manager in 15 seasons across two seperate periods at the Santiago Bernabeu.

“He has done excellently,” Madrid club director Emilio Butragueno said on Sunday night. “We are very happy with how things have gone.”   

Few could argue with the results, which have now earned Solari the chance to prove himself over a longer period.   

READ ALSO: Solari: Five things you need to know about Real Madrid's new coach 

'Great opportunity'

He indicated in his opening press conference that he was open to keeping the job full-time.

“It's a great opportunity and it's a great club,” Solari said. “I don't just say that now as coach of the first team. I've been here with other teams, I've played and sweated in the shirt of this club.

“Madrid is bigger than all of us but it touches us all with its greatness. I want to be a part of it.”

Zinedine Zidane also stepped up mid-season from coaching Castilla in 2016 and led the team to Champions League glory five months later.   

Solari has played down the comparisons with Zidane, who commanded instant respect owing to his glittering playing career and long-established status at the club, enhancing his status as a Real legend by winning three consecutive Champions League crowns.

“He's one of the greatest things we've ever had at this club,” Solari said last month. “He's very calm, a great coach and nobody can compare to him.”   

The challenge for Solari will be to manage the dressing room when results take a turn for the worse.

After the international break, Madrid´s generous run of games continues with league matches against Eibar, Valencia, Huesca, Rayo Vallecano and Villarreal before Christmas, none of whom currently reside in La Liga´s top half.

They will also play Roma in Italy and CSKA Moscow at home in the Champions League, two games likely to settle who goes through top of Group G.   

Solari was only allowed two weeks as an interim coach according to Spanish regulations, meaning Sunday´s trip to Celta Vigo was always likely to precede a decision on his future.

It proved an impressive final audition as Madrid struck a 4-2 victory, with Solari having to adapt to a handful of injury problems during the game.   

“We´ll go to the death with him, he's a great coach and of course we want him to continue,” Madrid defender Alvaro Odriozola said afterwards.   

This will be Solari´s maiden job in charge of a first team.   

Antonio Conte, Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Joachim Low had all been linked to the position, with fresh approaches still possible next summer.

RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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