Ronaldo suffered a thigh injury in the game against Villarreal which has ruled him out of Real Marid’s La Liga clash against Rayo Vallecano. But the Portuguese superstar is determined to play even though he knows he won’t be able to.
Zidane revealed the forward’s disappointment over the news, “Yes, he wanted to play but he knows it isn’t possible. He felt something in the last game and now he has to concentrate on the game on Tuesday. I don’t think he would have played tomorrow if it was a final. It’s too risky.”
The extent of the injury was known yesterday but it’s unsure if he will make it in time for the game against Manchester City “He won’t be playing tomorrow because he had a scan and although he hasn’t done anything serious he won’t be available tomorrow.”
“We’ll take it day by day, the problem is he always wants to play but tomorrow he’ll have to stay at home. We’ll see how he is for Tuesday’s game.”
Zidane was asked during the press conference how difficult it is to convince Ronaldo to take a break from time to time to which he replied, “It’s good to have a player who always wants to help the team and always wants to give his all, every time. That’s great for the team. In every bad thing there are always lots of good things.”
The manager went on to state the importance of Ronaldo to the team. “Cristiano is undroppable because his statistics say so. He deserves to be undroppable”
The manager was once again questioned on how something like not resting his main player was acceptable. “I don’t think he’ll be tired at the end of the season, he’s fine. Things like the other day can happen sometimes but I don’t see any problem with him playing every game, it’s what he always does and what he always wants to do.” said the Frenchman.
The 43-year-old also spoke about Bale’s fitness saying, “He’s better, he’s been training well. He’s recovered. The idea is that tomorrow he will be available for the team. We’ll see on Saturday.”
With Ronaldo not available the question now arose as to who would replace him. But Zidane was prepared with his answer. “All of the players are fit, I’ll decide tomorrow. I’ll play someone with similar characteristics to play on the wing.”
Real Madrid will have the chance to temporarily overtake Barcelona since they play before the Catalans do. They will most certainly miss Ronaldo but they have enough quality to get the job done.
With the Champions League game also approaching, the manager might consider resting some of his key players.
