Cristiano Ronaldo has had an upturn in his form ever since Zidane took over and now the French manager has paid tribute to his star man’s desire and ability. Speaking ahead of Real Madrid’s clash with Granda, Zidane said:
"I feel a certain admiration for Cristiano,"
"I admire him for his goals and for everything he has achieved. I like his ambition. He is never satisfied with what he has done, he always wants more.
"He is a super important player for me, for the team and for the fans.
"I retired at the age of 34, but Cristiano will play on longer. It's not that I did not look after myself, but he takes a lot of care of his own body and is a beast physically."
Ronaldo has previously expressed admiration for Zidane’s style of management and a return in form for their star man will be a huge positive for everyone involved at Real Madrid.
Zidane reveals Gareth Bale is on his way back from injury
Real Madrid will not be able to call on the services of their speedy Welsh winger Gareth Bale for the match against Granada and Zidane stressed that they won’t rush the Welshman back into action.
"We have decided to take things easy for a bit," he added.
"He is getting better, but he is not fully recovered yet."
Bale is recovering from a slight calf injury and Zidane will he hoping that he will soon have a fit and firing Bale along with Ronaldo to make a charge for the La Liga title.
Real Madrid sit third in the La Liga table but Zidane has refused to throw in the towel.
"The players all know we can still win the league," he stressed.
"We all know what the situation is like and that it will be difficult, but we will do everything we can."
Zidane seems to enjoy the respect of the Real Madrid dressing room and Florentino Perez will be hoping that Zidane will guide this team of superstars to yet more glory both domestically and in Europe.
