David Beckham believes Real Madrid should give his former teammate at the club, Zinedine Zidane, time to succeed even if the French great fails to inspire it to victory in the Champions League final later this month.
Zidane fell just short of steering the club to La Liga glory, with Real finishing one point behind Barcelona, but can claim his first title since replacing Rafa Benitez earlier this year in the Champions League final against city rival Atletico in Milan, Italy, on May 28.
"Madrid needs stability and continuity," Beckham said in an interview with Spanish magazine Semanal XL.
"It would be good if Zizou (Zidane) continues for some time and that they maintain the players they have today.
"Even if they don't win the Champions League, it would be good to let Zizou work.
"Stability is key, not just in every aspect of life but in business."
Former England captain Beckham played with Zidane at Real from 2003 until 2006 before the French great retired from football.
"Besides being a great friend, he is the person that is most passionate about football and Real Madrid that I have met and the best player I've ever played with," Beckham said.
Zidane was Carlo Ancelotti's assistant in 2013 when Real won the Champions League and had been coaching Real's reserve team, Castilla, in the third division before being named Real's 11th boss in 12 years.
He was named La Liga's Manager of the Month for April, picking up the award for the first time this season, following a six-game winning month which helped the team get back into title contention.
Real trailed Barcelona by 10 points and closed that gap to just one heading into the final weekend of the campaign.
"I wasn't born to coach but Zizou, yes," Beckham said.