Real Madrid daily-round up: Zidane, Asensio, Guardiola…
Zidane compares Nacho's wonder goal to his own Champions League winner, Asensio's top goalscoring season, Pep approached about the Real Madrid job and more...
A home-grown victory
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane named five home-grown starters in the starting lineup for his side’s 7-1 win over Cultural Leonesa on Tuesday night: Casilla, Carvajal, Nacho, Lucas Vázquez and Álvaro Morata. Six played in total, as Mariano came on as a substitute and scored the seventh in injury time.
Asensio scored twice, his fifth and sixth of the season, and in the process equalled his best-ever goals tally in a single season, a tally he’s all but certain to break as the season goes on.
Nacho’s goal: better than Zidane’s Champions League final winner?
Nacho’s spectacular 67th minute scissor-kick drew plaudits from Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, who said that the predictable comparisons to his own goal in the Champions League in 2002 were completely justified.
“Nacho’s goal was extraordinary, I’m happy for him,” he said. “It’s a goal that will go down in history. My goal in the final of the novena? This was better, wasn’t it?”
Read more on Zidane's reaction to Nacho’s fantastic goal here.
Coentrao makes his long-awaited return
Full-back Fabio Coentrao made his first appearance for Real Madrid in 537 days against Cultural Leonesa last night, coming on as a substitute for Danilo just before the hour. His last appearance for the club, before going out on loan to Monaco, was against Valencia on the 9th May 2015.
Real Madrid wanted Pep Guardiola as manager
Catalan journalist and Pep biographer Martí Perarnau has revealed that Real Madrid made contact with Pep’s agent Josep María Orobitg to sound out his interest in taking over from Rafa Benítez at the Santiago Bernabéu. Pep dismissed the approach, but it’s worth noting that the club approached him before current coach Zinedine Zidane.
You can read the full story here.
