Zidane made the difference last season: Ronaldo
PARIS: Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has credited legendary Frenchman Zinedine Zidane, who took over as coach of Spanish giants Real Madrid in January, for his outstanding season.
“Zidane was key. He’s a great professional, a great person and, in my opinion, his biggest quality is his ability to give his players a sense of calm.
“We were 12 points behind Barcelona and we ended up just one point adrift. In the Champions League we did what we had to do – and went on to win it. What more could you ask? Zidane deserves a lot of credit.”
Ronaldo admitted he didn’t believe his country could win Euro 2016. “To be honest I didn’t think Portugal could win the Euro. But match by match I started believing it was possible. In the end we deserved it,” said Ronaldo in an interview with UEFA.com. “Before the Euro we wanted to get through the group stage, get through the quarterfinals and from there we saw everything as a bonus.”
NEYMAR’S RIO WIN WILL BENEFIT BARCA: PIQUE
BARCELONA: Neymar should return to Spain with renewed enthusiasm after leading Brazil to their first football gold medal at an Olympic Games, Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said.
Neymar, who has scored 85 goals in 141 games in his three seasons at Barcelona, was given permission to stay in Brazil until after international games early next month. “I think it’s a good decision to grant him (Neymar) that,” Pique told El Mundo Deportivo. “He has earned it. I’m sure he is very happy and will come with a lot of enthusiasm to Barcelona.”
I’M THE BEST PLAYER IN EUROPE: GRIEZMANN
MADRID: France and Atletico Madrid footballer Antoine Griezmann believes that he deserves to win UEFA’s Best Player in Europe award ahead of Real Madrid rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.
Griezmann enjoyed an excellent 2015-16 campaign, scoring seven goals and 13 games to help Atletico reach the UEFA Champions League final.
“I am proud to be a finalist, that means I am on the right track and have to continue that way,” Griezmann said. “I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I deserve this award because I’ve had a great season with both club and France. It has been an unforgettable season, first in the Champions League with Atletico, then Euros with France,” he added.
BALE TARGETS FINAL OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
MADRID: Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale said on Wednesday he has an extra incentive to reach a third Champions League final in four years because the title game will be played in his hometown of Cardiff.
“This is the reason I came to Madrid – to play in the Champions League, to win the Champions League,” the 27-year-old Bale said. “To have the Champions League final in my home town is an even bigger motivation.”