Zinedine Zidane has said he cannot imagine Cristiano Ronaldo leaving the club next summer but will stay out of any contract negotiations between the player and club president Florentino Perez.
“I do not imagine Cristiano anywhere else,” Zidane said. “He is at his club where he should be. Everyone loves him here. I cannot see Madrid without Cristiano. I am most interested in the sporting side, and as always, in a difficult moment for the team, he is there.
“We know that people can talk and debate outside, but inside, Cristiano must just think about playing — as he has always done.”
“I do not want to talk about the contract, or these things,” Zidane said. “What I am most interested in is the pitch. That is what I talk to him about. Everything else he manages himself, I do not get into that. Everyone does what they think best. When I had difficult moments as a player, I just kept working hard and thinking the team would do good things soon.”
“I know this club and just try and do my best day to day. If I thought that I [could not improve results], I would have to go. You can always improve. When you don’t win, there is always a reason, but we cannot change or throw out everything. What we want is to win games. That will change the dynamic.”
