Paille thrives in Real role, thanks to Zidane link

Former Tynecastle striker Stephane Paille was hired by Mourinho to provide the Bernabeu coach with the inside track on their Champions League opponents and now has a 100 per cent record from his three scouting missions after Real thrashed Lyon – one of Paille’s old teams – on Tuesday night.

Paille, 46, was fixed up for the role by his friend Zinedine Zidane after being out of a job for 18 months since quitting as coach to French side Evian. It is a long way from May 1997, when Hearts kicked out the forward and ripped up his contract after he failed a random drug test.

Paille fled home to France, saying it had been an “innocent mistake” when traces of amphetamine were found in his system after a game with Kilmarnock.

Paille, who had already been banned in 1995 by French football chiefs for cannabis misuse at Mulhouse, never kicked a ball again and went into coaching.

But now, a fresh chapter has opened up for the player once voted French Footballer of the Year. “My phone rang one day two months ago and ‘God’ was on the other end,” said Paille. “It was Zizou (Zidane). You do not refuse him. Even before he explained to me what he wanted, I had made up my mind to say ‘yes’.

“I thought it was a joke at first. Real Madrid’s director of football wanted me to become one of their scouts to prepare dossiers on future opponents and keep an eye on potential signings.

“Mourinho is an extraordinary guy. You understand after just a few minutes why players like him so much. I spoke a little Portuguese because I played for a season at FC Porto but Mourinho speaks better French than me.”

Paille and Zidane have kept in touch since they played together at Bordeaux in the early 1990s.