London — When Tottenham clash with Real Madrid in the Champions League at Wembley on Wednesday, the glamour tie will provide the backdrop for a fascinating dugout duel between Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane. Tottenham boss Pochettino and Madrid coach Zidane are both highly regarded managers who have assembled teams capable of winning Europe’s elite club prize, but the pair could not have taken more contrasting journeys to the top of their profession. Pochettino, 45, has enjoyed a transformation from journeyman Argentinian defender to coveted coach, while Zidane, of the same age, is the French World Cup winner whose brilliance in his playing career has been followed by even more success in the dugout. The son of a Santa Fe farm worker, Pochettino was brought up with a tenacious work ethic that fuelled his rise from those humble roots. "As a boy, all I thought about was football, football, football. It was everything," he said. Fighting to claw out a career as an uncompromisi...
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