Zidane speaks out about Ronaldo's role after reports of leaving the Portugal national team

MOSCOW, October 4 - RIA Novosti. Previously, the head coach of the French national football team, Zinedine Zidane, who headed Real Madrid, said that Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo did a lot for the results that the Frenchman achieved during his coaching work.

Earlier, the media reported that Ronaldo refused to participate in the training of the Portuguese national team after missing the Nations League match against the Norwegian team (2:1), which took place on Sunday in Oslo. Ronaldo was not included in the starting lineup and spent the entire match on the bench. It later became known that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner left the national team after a press conference by head coach Jorge Jesus, at which he said that Ronaldo would not be included in the squad for the next match. Media reported that the 41-year-old forward decided to retire from the national team.

"No, I think he should be congratulated on a brilliant career. What he has done is something exceptional. I was lucky to have him with me and help me achieve incredible results, so I take my hat off to Cristiano. I will always have great respect for him, as I do for all players, but in particular for Cristiano, who helped us win so much," Goal quotes Zidane as saying.