Zidane supports Ronaldo: “I am the coach and I want him” at Real Madrid

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is backing his star... again.

It’s not difficult to be on Cristiano Ronaldo’s side after he snapped out of a mini-slump with a four-goal outing Saturday at the Bernabeu.

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Yet just last week Zidane was left diffusing controversial comments Ronaldo made about his teammates.

Now with the UEFA Champions League looming Tuesday against AS Roma -- Madrid leads 2-0 -- Zidane is underlining Ronaldo’s importance, and saying Real’s judgmental fans make the club better.

From RealMadrid.com/en:

“I’m not in favour for selling him. I am the coach and I want him. They whistled at me, at everyone. It’s not a question of any player in particular, it’s the fans who want more from their players and this is better for the players trying to make them always do their best. The fans really love their players in the end and this is very important. The stadium is always full and this means a lot”.

Ronaldo’s time at Real almost always seems to be simultaneously everlasting and coming to end.

Oddly enough, it could be the hiring of Zidane that stops Florentino Perez from selling Ronaldo. Zidane is a club icon like Ronaldo, and Perez is already dealing with fan protests at the stadium. Getting rid of either would likely be a problem.

Then again, this is the Bernabeu. Anything less than a free-flowing, title-winning campaign won’t do, and Real Madrid is on the verge of a trophy-free 2016 if they can’t win the UCL.

“I’m not in favour for selling him,” the French legend said of his Portuguese superstar. Then again, what else was he going say?

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