Zinedine Zidane has told he has no plans to sell star man Cristiano Ronaldo. The fans were booing and jeering Ronaldo and the Real Madrid team, but they responded in style beating Celta Vigo 7-1 with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring 4 goals.
Real Madrid are 2-0 up in the Champions League against Roma with the second leg coming up at the Bernabeu. Ahead of the match, Zidane speaking to the press conference made it clear that he had no plans to sell Ronaldo. He also spoke about the fan’s reactions:
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"I don't [think Ronaldo should be sold]. And I am the coach and I like Cristiano.
"The jeers, I also got them when I played, we all did. It is not about the player. It is about the fans demanding more from their players. I think [the whistling] is the best thing for the players because it helps them improve.”
The Portuguese also now heads the La Liga "Pichichi" and European Golden Boot races for this season with 27 goals.
"In the end, the supporters love their players and that is what matters. Because I continue to always see the stadium filled. That means a lot.
"The fans are very important for us. And the fans know that they are important. When they don't see the things they want they whistle a little. That is part of football. I was a player and you can't make a big deal over that."
Zidane also praised young striker Borja Mayoral who has deputised for the injured Karim Benzema in the last few games.
"He has played three games with us and his intensity has been incredible," said Zidane of Mayoral. "He is one of our Castilla players, but he is an important part of the group. He has the personality and the desire but we must proceed with caution. I have told him that we must move little by little."
Zidane not taking Roma lightly
Zidane is aware of the dangers Roma pose to Real Madrid. Even though Real Madrid have a comfortable 2-0 lead, the Frenchman warned his side to focus on the game completely.
"[Roma] are a good team, but I am more concerned with my players. They all know this will be a tough match. And the ones that will come after [we beat] Roma are also very good and very strong," he said, adding that he was not concerned with the doubters.
"I don't care about that. Now, to win, we have to play well. If we don't, they can eliminate us. We are going to prepare for this match as best we can.”
"The only thing we have to do is win because of course we are dreaming of this, but our thoughts are only on tomorrow's match," said Zidane when asked whether he felt pressure to win Champions League given Real Madrid's current situation in La Liga. "Many people feel that tomorrow's match will be easy and that is not true. It will be a tough game. We have to play well and win well.”
