Zinedine Zidane overlooks Ronaldo, picks Benzema and 2 others as Madrid stars who impressed him

• Cristiano Ronaldo was unexpectedly excluded from Zinedine Zidane's three-man shortlist of players who impressed him as coach
• Despite CR7 fuelling a chunk of Zidane's success as Real Madrid coach, Zizou omitted the Portuguese maestro
• Zidane's admiration for the trio highlights their exceptional technical ability and intelligence on the field

In a surprising revelation, Zinedine Zidane left Cristiano Ronaldo off his list of the three most impressive players he coached at Real Madrid.

Zidane, affectionately known as "Zizou," had a stellar playing career, spending five seasons with Los Blancos before moving into management.

Zinedine Zidane overlooked Cristiano Ronaldo in naming the players that impressed him the most as Real Madrid coach. Photos by Gerard Julien and Laurence Griffiths.
Source: UGC

Zidane's stint as Real Madrid boss

He first took charge of Madrid’s B team and later assumed the managerial role of the senior team from 2016 to 2018 and again from 2019 to 2021.

Zidane’s coaching tenure at Madrid is best remembered for his remarkable achievement of winning the UEFA Champions League three times consecutively.

Under his guidance, the club also secured numerous other titles, with Ronaldo playing a key role during this golden period.

Ronaldo's contribution to Zidane's Madrid success

According to Transfermarkt, the Portuguese forward flourished under Zidane, scoring 112 goals and providing 30 assists in 114 matches.

Despite Cristiano's vital contributions and personal accolades, including two Ballon d'Or awards during Zidane’s reign, the Frenchman did not include him among the top three players who impressed him the most.

Zidane excludes Ronaldo from Madrid's impressive players list

Zidane singled out midfield maestros Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, along with forward Karim Benzema, as the trio who stood out during his time at Madrid.

Benzema, who joined Madrid in the summer of 2009 alongside Ronaldo, became a cornerstone of the team.

His incredible tally of 354 goals in 648 appearances underscored his importance to the club before he eventually moved to Al-Ittihad in 2023.

Kroos, who arrived from Bayern Munich in 2014, made his mark as one of the finest passers in world football, scoring 28 goals in 465 games for the Spanish giants before his retirement in 2023.

Modric, now 39, continues to be a key figure at Real Madrid. Over the weekend, he made history as the oldest player to ever don the famous white shirt, proving that his footballing brilliance endures with age.

Ronaldo becomes the subject of online banter

In a previous publication, Legit.ng reported that Cristiano Ronaldo became the subject of unexpected social media banter following Lionel Messi's stunning performance for Inter Miami.

As Messi led his team to a thrilling comeback victory, fans took to social media to celebrate, with many seizing the moment to throw jabs at Ronaldo.

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Source: YEN.com.gh