FINALLY! Zidane talks about Ronaldo substitution as he explains his decision.
A lot of controversies has been doing the rounds ever since the Real Madrid vs Las Palmas clash, during which RMA manager decided to sub Ronaldo. His decision was followed by Ronaldo angry reaction, followed by a viral video in which Ronaldo seemed to be swearing. Ronaldo’s mother, meanwhile, Tweeted to encourage his son to keep his head up and take things into stride. Finally, the man, whose surprising decision brought all this on, has spoken, as Zidane talks about Ronaldo substitution to explain his decision.
FINALLY! Zidane talks about Ronaldo substitution as he explains his decision.
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Zidane defended his decision to substitute Ronaldo by saying that he wanted his team’s asset to catch some rest. Real Madrid will be face to face with Dortmund on Tuesday for a Champions League clash, and Zidane obviously wants Ronaldo to be a part of the squad, instead of being down with an injury or lack of fitness. He explained that this was the reason why he decided to pull Ronaldo off the field.
Of the 3 La Liga matches in which Ronaldo has appeared, he was been subbed in the middle of two matches. It looks like Ronaldo is seeing a lot of bench time, and it’s obvious that he doesn’t like it. But Zidane explained that this is not because of his lack in performance, but to prevent wearing him out.
“It was not that [Ronaldo] was playing badly,” Zidane said to the reporters; “He was playing well. Tonight I took him off thinking of Tuesday’s game.”
Zidane mentioned that Ronaldo is always enthusiastic about being on the pitch all the time, playing for his team throughout a game, but sometimes, it is necessary to take him out; it has to be Zidane’s decision, and it doesn’t change anything, or reflect on Ronaldo’s performance. When asked about Ronaldo’s reactions, the Real Madrid manager ensured that it was not as big as the media has made it into, and Ronaldo was not as furious as it seemed.
“Angry? That would be your interpretation,” said Zidane, to describe the situation.
True enough, it is understandable that Ronaldo has been under a lot of pressure for some time now, and his visible anger and frustration at the end of the match might just have been a heat of the moment, and not at all directed towards Zidane, as it has been portrayed so far.