Rafa Benitez's ill-fated tenure at Real Madrid is over.
Club president Florentino Perez, never shy about dropping the axe on his managers, confirmed on Monday what has felt like a foregone conclusion since June, announcing that Benitez has been fired as Los Blancos' bench boss only seven months after accepting the role.
Related: Rafa Benitez sacked as manager of Real Madrid, replaced by Zinedine Zidane
Club legend Zinedine Zidane, who was formerly running the club's Castilla side, was named as Benitez's successor.
Looking back at Benitez's time on the Santiago Bernabeu touchline, it's not difficult to see why the move was made. While the Spaniard always felt like a lame-duck coach from the second he was introduced, he didn't exactly do himself any favours along the way, either.
Here are five factors that contributed to his downfall:
Reported rift with Cristiano Ronaldo
Whether there was any validity to this rumour whatsoever or not, the mere suggestion that Benitez, whose appointment was grossly unpopular amid the Madrid faithful to begin with, was engaged in a feud with superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the worst possible developments for the Spaniard.
Related: Real Madrid boss Benitez insists there is no rift with Cristiano Ronaldo
Alienating your best player, who just so happens to be the club's all-time leading scorer and fan favourite, is no way to endear yourself to a new job - particularly when you are replacing someone as beloved as Carlo Ancelotti, who has long been known for his ability to connect with his stars on a personal level, and defuse dressing rooms dominated by enormous egos.
No bueno, Rafa.
Humiliating loss in El Clasico
As Real Madrid manager, you may be forgiven for failing to deliver significant silverware - for one season, at least. What fans will never forget, however, are losses to bitter rival Barcelona. In what will go down as the marquee match of Benitez's time at the Bernabeu, his side was obliterated 4-0 by the Catalan superpower in November's edition of El Clasico, with Neymar, Luis Suarez, and Andres Iniesta running the hosts off the pitch.
Related - El Clasico: Barcelona humbles Real Madrid
When the Uruguayan netted the fourth and final goal in the 74th minute of the one-sided contest, a stream of jeers came flooding down from the crowd, the last meaningful contribution from fans who paraded towards the exits with some 15 minutes remaining in the match.
Expulsion from Copa del Rey
This doesn't fall entirely on the portly tactician, but it's impossible to absolve him entirely. Real Madrid was expelled from the Copa del Rey after fielding Russian midfielder Denis Cheryshev, who was ineligible for the match due to a suspension he incurred for yellow card accumulation while on loan at Villarreal last season.
Related: Real Madrid 'had no idea' Cheryshev was ineligible to play vs. Cadiz
Though multiple appeals were launched and the club protested vigorously that it was an honest mistake, a final ruling, handed down last month, confirmed that second-tier side Cadiz would indeed advance in the tournament at the expense of Madrid. The embarrassing ordeal brought into question how a manager, despite not being around at the time of the infraction, could be unaware of such a clear-cut situation.
Dreaded 'vote of confidence' from the front office
Amid rampant rumours that Benitez was on the verge of being shown the exit in November, Florentino Perez was actually forced to hold a press conference in which he denied the swirling speculation.
Related: Benitez safe as Real Madrid manager: 'He has all our support and confidence'
A press conference to say that, essentially, nothing is happening. That was the extent to which the well-travelled boss' job was thought to be at risk. The vote of confidence, as it turns out, lasted only two months.
Struggles against fellow title contenders
Real Madrid has had little trouble scoring goals this season. In fact, the high-powered, star-laden side has filled the net more often than any other team in La Liga thus far - its 47 markers better even than Barcelona's tally (40).
And yet, against fellow heavyweights, the goals - and wins - dried up.
(Courtesy: ESPN FC)
Dropping a 10-spot against relegation-threatened Rayo Vallecano is fantastic - it was truly a remarkable achievement. But if you can only muster one measly goal, and, more damningly, one point, against Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Villarreal - the other club's in La Liga's top four at the moment - that explosion counts for little.
