Zinedine Zidane would have taken Real Madrid if he was offered to take over from Carlo Ancelotti

Rafa Benitez was eventually given the job

Zinedine Zidane (Getty Images)

Zinedine Zidane has admitted that he would have taken the Real Madrid job - had it been offered to him.

Former Liverpool and Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez was eventually picked to replace Italian Carlo Ancelotti, who was sacked after two years in charge despite winning the Champions League and Copa del Rey in his first season.

Zidane served as one of Ancelotti's assistants as well as being in charge of Real Madrid B last season and was one of the favourites for the role when it became clear Ancelotti would not be kept.

"Yes, I would have accepted being Ancelotti's successor. I'm a professional and I'm never going to turn down a challenge," said Zidane in an interview with France Football, to be published on Wednesday.

The former France playmaker, who won the World Cup and European Championship with his country as well as the Champions League and Primera Division titles with Real, insists he is not downhearted to have been overlooked for the job by club president Florentino Perez, though.

He added: "No, not at all. I'm not disappointed. I believe it wasn't the time.

"Things happen naturally, you don't have to go looking for them. He (Perez) took the decision to choose another coach and that's that."

Rafa Benitez pictured at his unveiling as Real Madrid manager (GETTY IMAGES)

Zidane, who turned 43 on Tuesday, has never been in charge of a senior team before and he is well aware that being the top man is very different than being an assistant.

"There's no comparison between the head coach and assistant. The head coach is the one responsible. Everything passes through you, you take all the decisions," he said.

"Of course you have the rest of the coaching staff, but you are the only one who decides things.

"To be a coach means to be alone. When you're the assistant coach, you can give advice and offer a different point of view, but you can't compare. The responsibility is always the head coach's."

Additional reporting from PA