Cristiano: "I'm even more of a fan of Zidane as a coach"
The Real Madrid forward gave an interview to Téléfoot during which he discussed life under the Frenchman, the Ballon d'Or and his future plans.
Cristiano Ronaldo spoke to French television station TF1’s show Téléfoot in Lisbon ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League match against Sporting Lisbon, a week before scoring a hat-trick against Atlético in the Madrid derby that has further strengthened his claim to the 2016 Fifa Ballon d’Or, for which voting draws to a close this week.
Ballon d'Or
Speaking about the annual award, which he has won three times, Ronaldo said he was optimistic but not obsessed with picking up the prize: “I have done everything possible to win the Ballon d’Or. With the Champions League and the European Championship… it has been an incredible year for me, my best season so far. But the voting doesn’t depend on me so I can’t allow myself to become obsessed with it. But if you ask me if I want to win the Ballon d’Or, I’d say that yes, I do, I’m not going to lie about it. I’m confident because this has been the best season of my career.”
Zidane
The Real Madrid record goalscorer also spoke about the influence of Zinedine Zidane since the Frenchman took the reins of the first team at the beginning of the year: “I have a fantastic relationship with Zidane. I was a fan of his as a player and I’m even more a fan of his as a coach. He’s a very good person and a great man. He will continue to learn as a manager.”
Real Madrid retirement
Speaking about his future as a player and potentially as a coach, Ronaldo reiterated that the contract renewal he signed recently that will keep him at the Bernabéu until 2021 would hopefully not be his last: “I’m tied to Real Madrid as a player and for the rest of my career. Later we’ll see what happens… whether I’ll go into coaching or something else, I’m not worried about that at the moment. That’s all in the future.”
