Zinedine Zidane has paid a glowing tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo, describing himself as fortunate to have worked with the Portuguese superstar and crediting him with helping deliver a remarkable collection of trophies during their time together at Real Madrid.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of France’s meeting with Belgium, Zidane was asked about Ronaldo and the difficult period currently surrounding the Portugal captain following his departure from the national-team camp.
Rather than dwell on the controversy, the former Real Madrid manager chose to focus on Ronaldo’s extraordinary career and the success they shared in Madrid.
“We really must pay tribute to his great career. I was lucky to have him with me. He helped me win a lot of titles,” Zidane said. “Hats off to Cristiano! I always have a great deal of respect for those I’ve spent time with.”
Zidane and Ronaldo enjoyed one of the most successful player-manager partnerships in modern European football after the Frenchman took charge of Real Madrid in January 2016.
Ronaldo scored 112 goals and supplied 27 assists in 114 appearances under Zidane, playing a central role as Madrid won 11 trophies during the Frenchman’s first spell in charge.
Among those triumphs were three consecutive Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018, a feat that established Zidane’s Madrid side as one of the defining teams of that era.
Ronaldo was particularly decisive in Europe’s premier competition, while Zidane’s management helped maximise the Portuguese forward’s influence during a period in which Real Madrid dominated the Champions League.
Zidane’s tribute comes at a sensitive moment in Ronaldo’s international career. The 41-year-old forward has been at the centre of intense debate in Portugal following his departure from the national-team camp amid tensions surrounding his relationship with head coach Jorge Jesus.
Ronaldo did not feature in Portugal’s 4–2 victory over Denmark after leaving the squad, while his future with the national team has subsequently become the subject of widespread speculation.
Jesus has continued to describe Ronaldo as an important symbol of Portugal, but has also insisted that his immediate focus is on the players available to him and the team’s upcoming fixtures.
Against that backdrop, Zidane’s intervention offered a reminder of Ronaldo’s contribution to the game beyond the latest controversy.
The Frenchman was one of the coaches who witnessed Ronaldo’s peak years at close quarters, and his comments underline the influence the forward had on one of the most decorated periods in Real Madrid’s history.
For Zidane, the focus was ultimately on gratitude rather than controversy.
“Hats off to Cristiano,” he said, paying tribute to a player who helped transform his tenure at Real Madrid into one of the most successful managerial spells in the club’s history.
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