Cristiano Ronaldo has credited Zinedine Zidane for inspiring him to play out the best season of his career . Despite beginning the 2015/16 season on a bad note under Rafa Benitez, the Real Madrid forward went on to win the UEFA Champions League, the Euro 2016 and has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or.
In a wide-ranging interview with Coach magazine, Ronaldo spoke about Zidane’s impact on a season where he excelled, saying “Zinedine Zidane was a perfect example of that last season. We had not started well, but then he arrived and was the catalyst for one of my best ever seasons.”
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“We went on a great run in LaLiga, won the Champions League, and then I won the European championships with Portugal. It was a great season for me and Real Madrid and the right coach can be that inspiration.”
Zidane took over a Real Madrid side that had been thrown out of the Copa del Rey and was struggling in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. Without any prior managerial experience at the top level, the Frenchman turned the season around and won Madrid’s 11th UEFA Champions League.
Ronaldo speaks about Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 51 goals in his previous season, but is experiencing his worst spell in a Real Madrid shirt, having gone 4 games without a goal. However, overall Ronaldo has been arguably the greatest Real Madrid player of all time, and the Portuguese forward credited his previous managers with having a big effect on him.
Speaking about Manchester United boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo said “I do see Sir Alex Ferguson as a father figure. All my coaches have been important, but when I arrived at Real Madrid I was a man, when I arrived at Manchester United I was a boy. All of a sudden you are at one of the biggest clubs in the world and at that time I needed somebody like Sir Alex.”
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Speaking about former Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho, Ronaldo said “I have played for so many great coaches, but Jose Mourinho was a big thinker analytically, he went into everything in great detail.”
However, Ronaldo had a rather egotistical answer when asked who the biggest influence on his career was. He replied : "I was.”
