Zindine Zidane hits back at Cristiano Ronaldo doubters

Hitting back

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has jumped to the defence of Cristiano Ronaldo this week after much criticism over his form.

It’s not secret that the Portugese star hasn’t had the best of seasons, especially in La Liga.

In 17 games the player has scored 9 goals, which for a normal player would be impressive, but not for Ronaldo.

He’s certainly not been at his best and pundits and even Real Madrid fans are not happy with the player.

Now, Zidane has come out in defence of his player, explaining he is ‘keen’ to get back to his best.

“Maybe because of that [lack of goals], he is more motivated than ever before and keen to show what he can do,” Zidane explained.

“He has always proven himself and turned up in the big matches.”

One moment that is certainly in the mind of pundits right now is Ronaldo’s withdrawal late in the game against Levante.

The player was substituted before Levante equalised late in the game and Zidane has also defended himself on that decision.

“No. It was planned to change him, and that’s all,” he continued.

“We had the game under control, the most difficult is to score goals. We got to 2-1, but in the end, two mistakes cost us the two goals.

“This year is being difficult for us. We cannot put three or four results together. I am not happy with the result. We were in control of the game, above all the first half, so not happy, of course.”