Zinedine Zidane will eclipse the greatest managers in history if he wins a third consecutive Champions League, but a sneering campaign has shadowed his Real Madrid reign.

Only two managers, Bob Paisley and Carlo Ancelotti, have won the European Cup three times, but not in successive years. Despite Zidane being on the threshold of unprecedented success, cynics continue to damn him with faint praise.

The Frenchman is often portrayed as the fortunate recipient of an expensively assembled squad, rather than the architect of ­mesmerising performances.

For those who know him, the withering assessments of his work are fed by jealousy and ignorance.

“He doesn’t get enough credit. He took over a struggling, dysfunctional team,” says Steve McManaman, Zidane’s former team-mate at the start of the glorious Galactico era at the turn of the century.

“The players were not happy when he was appointed. He has gone on to win two Champions Leagues. If Pep Guardiola had done this people would be singing from rooftops.

“He does not pat himself on the back enough. He is similar as a manager as a player. He is not outspoken. He gives nothing away. Not extravagant in interviews, but always graceful.