080FOOTBALL BREAKING NEWS!!! MADRID SACKS BENITEZ! ZIDANE TAKES OVER!!

Rafa Benitez has been sacked by Real Madrid after just seven months in charge with club legend Zinedine Zidane announced as his replacement.

The decisive moment arrived when the Spanish giants called an emergency meeting after Madrid failed to beat Valencia on Sunday evening.

Club president Florentino Perez decided to swing the axe with the club sitting third in the table, two points behind rivals Barcelona, and four behind league leaders Atletico Madrid.

Zinedine Zidane will step up from the B-team to take control of first team affairs until at least the end of the season.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday where he announced the club's decision, Perez said: 'Rafa Benitez is an absolute professional and a wonderful person. We have decided to nominate Zinedine Zidane as the new manager of Real Madrid.'

Addressing Zidane Perez said: 'This is your club, this is your stadium. And you have all our support. From this moment, you are the trainer of Madrid.

'I know that the word 'impossible' does not exist for you.'

Perez remains a huge fan of Jose Mourinho and the former Chelsea manager remains an option for the Spanish giants at the end of the season if the Zidane experiment fails.

Accepting the role, Zidane, who won La Liga and the Champions League in his time with Real as a player, said: 'This is the best club in the world and the best fanbase in the world. I want to ensure that by the end of the season, the club will have a trophy

I will be working hard with all the players and I think that it will go well. Tomorrow is when the work starts. I will put all my heart into this club. Thank you everyone.'

As Zidane was ushered in Real Madrid were left counting the cost of their six-month Benitez experiment. The out-going coach’s agent Manuel García Quilón is understood to have negotiated a 7.3m pounds pay-off.

Benitez was unable to win any of Madrid’s big away games so far this season with Villarreal, Sevilla and Barcelona all beating them and Atletico Madrid, Valencia and PSG all taking a point.

Real Madrid have an open training session on Tuesday with thousands expected to flock to the club’s Valdebebas training ground to see the players put through their paces.

But it will be Zidane and not the former Liverpool coach in charge as Real Madrid begin another new era.

After Sunday's draw with Valencia Benitez arrived in the press room at Mestalla wearing a gaunt look as he batted away question after question over his future.

‘I can only make sure that we work hard in every game,’ he said. ‘I thought we did that tonight and I’m pleased with the players.’

Pressure has been mounting on Benitez for several weeks with the club trailing local rivals Atletico Madrid and Barcelona at the top of La Liga and Real Madrid supporters have been clamouring for change.

The club's notoriously unforgiving fans let their feelings towards Benitez known once again last week – with the Spaniard booed ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Real Sociedad.

It's not the first instance of booing aimed at Benitez this season, with the sound levels inside the stadium raised to extreme highs following the hefty defeat at home by Barca.

Benitez's short reign at the Santiago Bernabeu has been fraught with difficulty with reports surfacing in the summer that Cristiano Ronaldo and other senior players were failing to buy into his methods.

The former Liverpool boss was also criticised early in his tenure for playing an overly defensive style of football.

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