Zinedine Zidane Defends Cristiano Ronaldo From Latest Round Of Criticism
Cristiano Ronaldo's form has been stuttering of late but Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane says he is used to handling the scrutiny.
ZInedine Zidane has defended Cristiano Ronaldo from criticism of his declining Real Madrid form, insisting "it used to happen to me".
The Portugal star drew a blank in the 2-1 Copa del Rey defeat to Celta Vigo on Wednesday and his all-round contribution to the side has been scrutinised in recent matches.
His coach is adamant that Ronaldo is accustomed to dealing with critics and says a drop-off in standards should be expected for any player at the top level of the game.
"Cristiano will always be criticised: when he does not score, when he plays in a different position... He's used to it. He's focused on the Malaga match and nothing else," Zidane said on Friday.
"He's always going to be the player who makes the difference for this team. Sometimes he can play worse, it used to happen to me. The important thing is to keep working."