Real coach Zidane declares Ronaldo ‘120 percent’ fit for Champions League final
>> MADRID: Zinedine Zidane has declared Cristiano Ronaldo “120 percent” fit ahead of the Champions League final.
Ronaldo sprained his ankle against Barcelona earlier this month, prompting fears the Portugese might not make the clash against Liverpool on May 26.
But Zidane insisted Ronaldo would be “150 percent” fit for the game in Kiev and he delivered another positive update on Friday.
“Maybe right now he is 120 percent,” Zidane said with a smile. “He is fine. If Cristiano is 120 percent that’s fine with me.”
Ronaldo trained with the first team squad as normal this week as Real were due to play Villarreal in their final league game of the season last night.
Real’s disappointing season in the league, where they were 15 points behind champions Barcelona ahead of this weekend’s matches, is in stark contrast to their success in Europe.
If they beat Liverpool, they will be the only club to have won the Champions League three times in a row while Zidane will join Carlo Ancelotti and Bob Paisley as the only coaches to own a trio of European crowns.
“It would be huge,” Zidane said. “It would mean we have been doing our job well and that my message has been getting through to the players and the staff.
“It’s great to start my managerial career at this level but for me the most important final of the Champions League is this one, not the last one.”
Meanwhile, outgoing Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said failing to sign Ronaldo is his biggest transfer regret in his almost 22-year-reign at the club.
Wenger, 68, signed some of the league’s best players during his reign, including Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Cesc Fabregas and Mesut Oezil, but Arsenal lost out on signing Ronaldo to rivals Manchester United in 2003.
Ronaldo went on to help United win three league titles along with an FA Cup and Champions League triumph, before joining Real Madrid in 2009.
“The obvious player [that we missed out on] that comes to mind is [Cristiano Ronaldo,” Wenger told Arsenal’s website.
“He was here with his mother and we were very close. Then Man United came in and they had Carlos Queiroz at the time, who was their coach. United played against Sporting Lisbon and Ronaldo was outstanding and they signed him.
“You could imagine at the time what it would have been like to have Thierry Henry and Ronaldo together... That would certainly have changed a little bit the history of my stay here as well.”
Wenger said Arsenal were unable to compete with United’s £12 million offer for the Portugal star.