‘We Really Should’—Zinedine Zidane Weighs in on Cristiano Ronaldo Debate

Cristiano Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid manager Zinédine Zidane has insisted that the world “really should celebrate” the Portuguese forward’s “great career” rather than scrutinize how it may be crumbling toward an ugly conclusion.

The fondness between Zidane and Ronaldo was forged by the years they shared together at Real Madrid. After serving as the club’s advisor, sporting director and then assistant manager, Zidane took on the top job in January 2016. Within the space of two-and-a-half years, Madrid had won three Champions League titles and La Liga while Ronaldo racked up more than a century of goals.

Given the gravitas earned from a playing career almost as lauded as Ronaldo’s, Zidane is one of the few managers in the game to have been able to rest his star man without losing his trust. Jorge Jesus tried to name a 41-year-old Ronaldo as a substitute for consecutive Portugal fixtures during the ongoing international break but only inspired his hasty exit.

Ronaldo’s conduct has been one of the dominant headlines this fall but Zidane was in no mood to criticize his former player.

“We really should celebrate his great career,” the France boss insisted when faced with this Ronaldo conundrum. “What he’s done is exceptional. I was lucky to have him on my team; he helped me win some incredible things. So hats off to Cristiano. I have a lot of respect for all players in general, but even more so for those I’ve spent time with—especially Cristiano, who helped us win so many titles.”

Ronaldo’s Remarkable Record Under Zidane

What Portugal Thinks of Ronaldo’s International Exit

While Zidane is entitled to give his informed view on the topic, the most pertinent set of people impacted by Ronaldo’s latest strop is the Portuguese public. One of the leading sports dailies led with the headline ‘CR11’ as Portugal put in a team performance to make up for the absence of its famous No. 7. The results of Jesus’s side have been defiantly positive in the face of Ronaldo’s absence, yet opinions are still split.

A poll commissioned by TVI and CNN Portugal found that there is an almost even split within the country when it comes to Ronaldo’s involvement in the next international break; 35% of those questioned were willing to see the 41-year-old extend his record-breaking career, while 37% thought his time had come. It was similarly close on the question of his international retirement, although only 10% considered Ronaldo worthy of a regular starting place.

The most interesting takeaway was the level of support afforded to Jesus. The last international manager to bench Ronaldo was Fernando Santos, the first coach to ever lead his nation to not one but two international trophies. The gamble initially worked—Ronaldo’s replacement for the 2022 World Cup round of 16, Gonçalo Ramos, scored a hat trick—but Santos was still dismissed when Portugal lost the subsequent quarterfinal.

Jesus is only three months into his new job and appears to have won the public around with his firm stance on Ronaldo. The 72-year-old admitted that he failed to fulfill his promise of bringing the veteran off the bench against Norway and would not back down when sitting opposite Ronaldo and the head of the Portuguese FA during emergency talks.

However, some billboards in Lisbon would suggest that Jesus’s approval rating is not quite bulletproof—he’s certainly lost at least one Portuguese citizen this fall.