“Mister, thank you for so much” - When Cristiano Ronaldo sent heartwarming message to Zidane following Real Madrid exit

Cristiano Ronaldo had sent a heartwarming message to then Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane following the Portuguese icon's exit from the Santiago Bernabeu. The Frenchman coached the five-time Ballon d'Or winner for two and a half years during his first stint at Los Blancos from 2016 to 2018.

Ronaldo arrived at the Bernabeu in 2009 from Manchester United and stayed with the Spanish giants till 2018. During his last two and a half seasons at Real Madrid, the 39-year-old forward had Zidane as his head coach, winning the 2016–17 La Liga, the 2015-16, the 2016–17 and the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League trophies, the 2017 Supercopa de Espana, and the 2016 and 2017 UEFA Super Cups and the FIFA Club World Cups.

After he left Los Blancos to join Juventus in 2018, Ronaldo shared a picture on social media with Zinedine Zidane, with the caption:

"Just feel proud to have been your player. Mister, thank you for so much."

Earlier in 2020, Zinedine Zidane had made his pick on the Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo debate, where he referred to the Portuguese icon as the best. The French manager said (via GOAL):

"Cristiano is the best. Messi is his rival and it's the rivalry everyone wants to see. But Ronaldo is phenomenal. There are no words to describe him. He is much better than me even though I had a great career. He's the greatest of all time."

Zinedine Zidane's second stint as Real Madrid coach started in 2019 and lasted till 2021. Overall, he won 11 trophies as manager with the Spanish club.

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Current Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti on managing Cristiano Ronaldo

Carlo Ancelotti recently shared his experience of managing Cristiano Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabéu. He managed the Portuguese icon for two years during his first stint at Los Blancos from 2013 to 2015.

When asked how it was coaching the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, Ancelotti said on The Obi One Podcast (via @MadridXtra on X):

"Coaching Cristiano Ronaldo? It was very easy. When you have a player who scores every game, it’s easy (laughs)."

The 39-year-old is Real Madrid's all-time leading goalscorer with 450 goals in 438 appearances across competitions. He won four of his five Ballon d'Or awards (2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017) while he was at the Spanish giants.