Madrid [Spain]: Amid reports that Cristiano Ronaldo has decided to leave Real Madrid, manager Zinedine Zidane has contacted the star striker to convince him to remain at Santiago Bernabeu.
Outraged at being unfairly treated by Spanish tax authorities, Ronaldo had earlier expressed his intentions to leave Real Madrid and Spain.
The 32-year-old was livid over being singled out for disproportionate treatment after prosecutors accused him of defrauding the authorities of €14.7m (£12.8m).
Soon after Ronaldo revealed his intention to leave the club, Zidane called the Portuguese star to discuss the announcement and find out the real reason behind his frustration.
According to Marca, the French manager told Ronaldo that the Real Madrid team needs him and his winning mentality to guide the club to many more victories.
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Zidane, who is well aware of the influence that Ronaldo has on the players at the club, also expressed his confidence that the problem would be resolved soon.
It is well known that Zidane’s word means a lot to Ronaldo as he was the only person who managed to convince the striker to accept reduced playing time for Los Blancos last season.
Meanwhile, Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos, who has not always been in the Portuguese’s good books, also phoned his teammate in a bid to convince him to continue.
Ronaldo has helped Real win the Champions League thrice, scoring twice in last month’s final as they became the first club to retain the title, and he is also the competition’s record goal scorer with 105 strikes.
He has also helped his team to win two La Liga titles after joining it on transfer from Manchester United for a ten record 80 million pounds in 2009.