Benitez, who wept during his presentation last summer, bid farewell to "everyone at every level of the club," saying it was "an honor and privilege" to be Madrid's manager. He also showed no hard feelings for his replacement in an open letter on his personal website.

"I would like to wish good luck to Zinedine Zidane, my successor, and his staff," Benitez wrote.

Zidane helped Madrid win the 2002 Champions League with a memorable goal in the final and led France to the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000. However, he blemished his otherwise stellar career with a head-butt of an Italian opponent in the 2006 World Cup final, earning a red card in his last international match.

Marco Materazzi, the recipient of Zidane's infamous head-butt, wished the Frenchman well.

"The weight of Zidane's personality will hold weight in the changing room," Materazzi told the Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport. "But it's not going to be a walk in the park for him. For great players that become coaches, after two or three matches they're already condemned to produce results. Anyhow, without being ironic, I wish him (...) good luck."

Zidane will look to restore harmony among his players, including James Rodriguez and Francisco "Isco" Alarcon, who lost starting jobs under Benitez, and to win over the Madrid fans still angered by a 4-0 loss to Barcelona in November, and its disqualification from the Copa del Rey for fielding an ineligible player.

David Beckham, a former teammate of Zidane from Madrid's group of "galaticos," backed the move that some in Spain deem risky. He called Zidane" the best person for the job."

But as recent predecessors Mourinho, Ancelotti, and now Benitez, all learned, Madrid president Florentino Perez will accept nothing short of a major title at the end of each season.

That means Zidane must find a way to topple Barcelona as either European or Spanish champion. Barcelona has dominated both competitions, with four Champions League trophies in the last decade and five Liga crowns to Madrid's one in the last seven seasons.