‘Hats off to you, Cris’: Zidane backs Ronaldo over Portugal exit
Paris: France head coach Zinedine Zidane has come out in strong support of Cristiano Ronaldo, insisting the 41-year-old deserves respect for an “exceptional” career after his abrupt departure from Portugal’s national team camp sparked fresh controversy over his international future.
Ronaldo left the Portuguese squad in Copenhagen ahead of their UEFA Nations League fixtures following reported differences with head coach Jorge Jesus and federation officials, reigniting debate about his role and possible retirement from international football. Asked about the episode at a pre-match press conference before France’s Nations League clash with Belgium, Zidane chose to focus on Ronaldo’s legacy rather than the latest dispute.
“No, I think he should be congratulated on his great career. What he did is exceptional,” Zidane said. “I was lucky to have him with me and he made me win incredible things, so I take my hat off to Cristiano. I will always have great respect for him, as for all players, but even more so for those with whom I shared so much time, and in particular Cristiano, who made us win so much.”
The pair enjoyed a trophy-laden spell together at Real Madrid between 2016 and 2018, when Zidane’s side won three consecutive Champions League titles, a La Liga crown, two Club World Cups, two UEFA Super Cups and a Spanish Super Cup, with Ronaldo as the team’s leading scorer and decisive match-winner.
Now in his first major role with a national side, Zidane said his start with France has been encouraging, citing away wins over Turkey and Belgium and a home draw against Italy in Paris. Reflecting on the shift from club to international management, he noted the different rhythm but underlined that his standards remain unchanged.
“Perhaps the difference is that at a club it never stops; it is day to day, it is very all-consuming. I loved doing that, and now I have another side to it and I will try to do it this way, which will be a little different. But in any case, the desire to work well around my team is the same,” Zidane said.
(Inputs from IANS)