Zinedine Zidane has lavished praises on Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese international deservedly won the Ballon d’Or for the fourth time in his career.
The Real Madrid coach stated on Wednesday that Ronaldo was out to prove he deserved the award by further leading his Real Madrid team to another Club World Cup title.
The Madrid star man who was voted the best player for the fourth time is his career would be leading the frontlines in Japan when Madrid face their South American opponent Club America in the club world cup semifinals on Thursday. When asked about the game, the Real Madrid coach said:
“Cristiano is hugely motivated for this game — as always.
“Obviously, we have many great players at Real Madrid but it’s very rare one player wins so many awards,” he added.
Ronaldo who is closing in on five times Ballon d’Or record holder Lionel Messi has helped his real Madrid team boss Europe for the 11th time.
Ronaldo also stated that if he and his Barcelona counterpart were on the same team, he would have won more accolades than his Barcelona rival. When asked about the prospect of being in the same team with Lionel Messi, he said: “It would be interesting to see both of us in the same team.”
Zidane, whose team has been on an impressive 35-game unbeaten run, is set to bench Spanish defender Sergio Ramos when the club plays South American champions Club America. Ramos whom the real Madrid coach revealed is suffering from fatigue would need this rest to fully recover for action when activities resumes in the La Liga during the weekend.
Zidane further warned his side against overconfidence and complacency when they face the South American champions in Thursday’s semifinal bout.