Hail the Zizou impact

If there's one person that Real Madrid supporters and staff should be thanking for an unprecedented 11th European Cup/Champions League title once the dust settles, it's the architect of their victory, Zinedine Zidane.

Not Cristiano Ronaldo, who was clearly not fit and was arguably anonymous against Atletico Madrid for the most part.

And not Gareth Bale or Karim Benzema either. The BBC weren't switched on for long periods in the San Siro, and that's a potential worry for the Frenchman over the course of the summer. For now however, Zidane can reflect on another job well done.

A job, let's recall, that he took with no real coaching pedigree, having only overseen Real's Castilla reserve side before getting a desperate call from president Florentino Perez after he'd relieved Rafael Benitez of his duties.

The talk  then was that Zidane wasn't at the right point in his coaching career to take the top job and was a ready-made scapegoat if Los Blancos were to endure another poor season by their standards.

But Perez wouldn't be swayed from his desire to install the former club legend and assistant coach to Carlo Ancelotti, especially after a catastrophic 4-0 home defeat to Barcelona in the first El Clasico of the season.

It took a few weeks for Zidane to ensure the team were working to his methods and once the squad had bought into that mentality, frankly there was no stopping them.

Had the Catalans lost just one more game, Real could've taken La Liga at the death, and although there'll always be questions marks as to the standard of opposition that Los Blancos faced in European football's premier competition this season, Zidane's side can only beat what's in front of them.

Yes, Wolfsburg might have finished 8th in the Bundesliga, but Real still had to go out and win a second leg against them under immense pressure after losing 2-0 in the opener.

There is a togetherness about the squad  that is self evident, and it must be said, that's quite unusual for this club.

An all-for-one, one-for-all ethic that Zidane has helped to create and then foster. Perhaps having such stature in the game especially at Real, gave him the helping hand that was required at the beginning to keep any egos in check and ultimately cultivate an environment that has led to success.

He'll be wary of course of how Ancelotti was dispensed with just a year after landing La Decima.Therefore, the hard work really begins now.

Various areas need addressing and Ronaldo is looking less like his old self for one, so there's already a huge decision on the horizon for Zidane.

He may end up being defined by this win or he could surprise just about everyone and take Real back to new heights, ending Barcelona's decade-long dominance in the process.

One thing is already clear. Zinedine Zidane isn't quite the failure every expected.