Merengue coach Zinedine Zidane has opened the door to a possible return to the Santiago Bernabeu of the five-time Ballon d’Or.
Zinedine Zidane has hinted that Real Madrid will look to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo, currently at Juventus, this summer. Cristiano Ronaldo’s future has been the subject of much debate since Juventus’ shock elimination in the last 16 of the Champions League against FC Porto last week. The Italian giants are urged to take advantage of the 36-year-old before he becomes a free agent in 2022, with Zidane now indicating that a return to the Santiago Bernabeu could be considered.
The French kicked in on the future of his former player before the game against Elche at the end of last week. This time around he was more expansive at the microphone of ‘Sky Italia’ ahead of his side’s Champions League clash with Atalanta on Tuesday: “The rumors are true? Yes, that could be true. We know Cristiano Ronaldo, we know what he did for Real Madrid, but now he’s playing for another team. We’ll see what his future will be. ”
Ronaldo has definitely carved his name into Madrid history during his nine seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu, helping the club win 15 major trophies, including two La Liga crowns and four Champions League titles. He also became the Madrid club’s all-time top scorer, scoring 450 goals in 438 appearances in all competitions, but the team have struggled to achieve the same success since leaving.
Real Madrid’s La Liga triumph last season is the only trophy they’ve won in the past three years, with Karim Benzema now taking on the burden of scoring and being decisive in the final thirty meters. Eden Hazard was signed from Chelsea for € 100million to replace Cristiano Ronaldo in 2019, but his contribution has been significantly limited by injuries.
If the Portuguese striker returned to the Spanish capital, he would surely be directly back in Zinedine Zidane’s type eleven if he retraced his steps at the end of the current season. Cristiano Ronaldo has shown no signs of slowing down despite reaching his mid-30s, with his goal production still as high as ever under Italian coach Andrea Pirlo at Juventus.
Despite the fact that the Bianconeri are no longer on the European stage and struggle to stay in touch with Inter Milan in the Serie A title race, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 30 goals in 33 appearances, including a stunning hat-trick against Cagliari this weekend. The sporting director of Juventus and denied wanting to part ways with the Portuguese international before the game against Cagliari, a meeting in which the Portuguese once again demonstrated all his talent.