Fit-again Ronaldo is up for the cup...
CRISTIANO RONALDO has travelled with Real Madrid for the Uefa Super Cup against former club Manchester United, with Zinedine Zidane saying he is as fit as he was before the summer.
The 32-year-old forward was granted extended leave following his part in Portugal’s Confederations Cup campaign, before appearing at a Spanish court to answer charges relating to his tax returns.
Ronaldo has denied he evaded tax or hid details of his income from the authorities – charges that led the world’s best player to seriously consider a move away from the Bernabeu earlier in the summer.
However, the Portuguese appears set to stay put and, despite only just returning to training, has been included in the 24-man squad taking on former club United in Macedonia.
Ronaldo trained with his team-mate last night and could now play a part in Skopje this evening days after returning to training.
“There has been a lot of noise, but he is relaxed,” said Real Madrid head coach Zidane.
“He is relaxed and what impresses me the most is that physically he is as fit as the day of the Champions League final. So how long is that? Two months ago already.
“Really what interests me in the long run, what interests me, him, and everyone else is that – that he is fit. As to the rest, there’s not really much we can do about it.
“The fact that he is with us, this means a lot because after three days if he is with us, it is because he is ready to play.
“And then tomorrow, well, we’ll see if whether he plays or not, but the important thing is he is here with us and he’s ready to play.”