COMMENT: Zinedine Zidane asked bluntly not to be compared to Pep Guardiola's when he was unveiled as Real Madrid's new head coach on Tuesday, but he must have known that he was always going to be.
Journalists and fans alike have a feeling that Los Merengues' hierarchy are taking a leaf out of arch rivals FC Barcelona's handbook by giving a playing legend of their club a chance to learn the ropes with their B team before being handed the top job.
The view in Madrid is one of optimism and excitement after all the negativity surrounding the short spell in charge of Rafa Benítez and in Zidane they hope that he can translate what he did on the pitch as a player for Los Galáticos to the bench.
In Catalunya the view is different, and of course it would be, as Guardiola, while forever held in a deity-like status, is seen as a one-off; the man that moulded the club and the squad and set the Blaugrana up for years of success whoever is in charge, as long as the blueprint is not altered.
“Madrid think that they have a new Guardiola, but Zidane does not have the same charisma, the same character as Pep," a journalist who covers Barça told me when the news about Zidane broke.
The pair both took over the respective giants having had minimal experience as head coach of any team with the clubs believing that their learning the ropes was just a case of understanding what was required to go along with all they learnt during respective glittering careers.
Guardiola had just one season in charge of Barcelona B and immediately impressed as they were promoted through the Segunda B, the third-level in Spain, play-offs to the second tier with a record of 28 wins, nine draws and just five defeats all season.
There was little reliance on his imperious passing or vision as a player, but more about his drive and commitment to details along with some great man-management.
Rumour has it among the Catalan press, what with Guardiola implementing a media ban on nearly all his training sessions from day one, that rather than directly tell Lionel Messi what to do, he would gather the squad and advise them what Messi's duties in a game would be so not to seem to be confronting the Argentinian star.
Zidane has far more than one world star and ego to contend with at the Santiago Bernabéu and while few may cross him directly, assuring his huge earners that they are in his plans and will play and in the positions that they prefer, a la Gareth Bale, will be something that even the current Bayern Munich boss would not relish.
Last season, Real Madrid Castilla missed out on the Segunda B play-offs by two points and Zidane leaves them in second place in Group II this term so talk of him not succeeding at that level is unfair.
Another reason for Madrid fans to be optimistic, a contributor to Marca explained, is that if anyone can persuade the club to field homegrown talent, then it will be him and maybe a slight change in policy could be on the cards to try and catch-up with Barcelona.
In the Spanish capital the new head coach will be seen as the man to really push the club forward and implement a plan using youth and superstars, while in Catalunya they are waiting for club president Florentino Pérez to ensure that does not happen and a new trainer is called for.
Whichever way you look at it, despite his calls for no comparisons to be made, Zidane will be seen as Madrid's Guardiola and the same high expectations set by the Barça man will be required by Zidane at Madrid.
