Real Madrid Transfer News: Zinedine Zidane Addresses Cristiano Ronaldo Exit Talk

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Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has rubbished talk of Cristiano Ronaldo being sold by the club, insisting that he wants the player to stay even if some supporters don’t.

There were audible jeers from the Santiago Bernabeu crowd on Saturday as the Portuguese turned in a disappointing first-half performance, before the forward went on to score four goals in the second half, helping his team to a 7-1 win; the 31-year-old celebrated by pointing to his ear. When asked about some fans possibly wanting Ronaldo gone, Zidane’s response was clear. “I don’t,” he said, via Marca. “I'm the coach, and I want Cristiano here. I was booed, too. It's not about any one player; they're a crowd who want more, and that's good because it forces you to improve and to try to always do your best. The fans love their players...at the end of the day.”

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Here is a recap of Ronaldo’s virtuoso display, in which he took his tally of La Liga goals to 27 for the season:

Looking at the bald statistics, it’s rather remarkable that Ronaldo is getting this kind of stick, as his goals have been vital for Real Madrid this season.

Indeed, while Los Blancos currently trail league leaders Barcelona by a whopping 12 points, without the efforts of their top scorer, they’d be much worse off, especially with his attacking partners Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale each suffering injuries.

Sky Sports Spanish football expert Guillem Balague had effusive praise for the Portuguese in the wake of his showing on Saturday, insisting that there has never been a better goal-poacher:

And while it may seem ludicrous to be critical of Ronaldo, who has now scored more league goals than any player in European football’s top five divisions, some are.

The Portuguese, after all, was far from complimentary about his team-mates after the recent loss to Atletico Madrid, suggesting they were not up to the same standards as him, via Marca (h/t Pete Hall of Sky Sports). It was a claim which, regardless of its veracity, isn’t necessarily endearing.

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Despite his excellent goalscoring, Ronaldo has been criticised in some quarters.

Some have suggested that Ronaldo doesn’t produce his stellar goalscoring in the big matches, too; these statistics from ESPN FC do show that the Portuguese has netted almost half his goals against two relatively modest opponents:

Still, there’s so much to be admired about the forward, and Celta, while they capitulated in the second period, are no mugs, as they currently occupy seventh position in La Liga; when Barcelona took them to the cleaners a few weeks ago, there were few mentions of their far-from-desirable defending..

Ronaldo has scored so many goals over such a significant spell of time that it’s tough to buy into the notion that he’s a flat-track bully. His potency in the penalty area is simply startling and has been for a long time, as Squawka Football note here:

Is Ronaldo the greatest goalscorer in the game's history?

It’s no surprise Zidane wants to keep him on board. While Ronaldo is no longer a player who has a constant impact on football matches, his incredible ability to get into goalscoring positions and take chances can be decisive. That trait, regardless of any potential money recouped from a sale, would be very difficult to replace.

So while Ronaldo has been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the season, according to Jason Burt of the Daily Telegraph, it’s most likely he’ll remain in the Spanish capital for a while yet, whether the fans want him around or not.