Zidane talks about ‘Ramos-Ronaldo’ tension, Neymar rumors

CAIRO – 18 November 2017: Zinedine Zidane, coach of Real Madrid, has admitted that in recent days there has been tension between captain Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo. The tension comes following an exchange of statements since the team’s last loss to Tottenham in the Champions League.

During a press conference before the Madrid derby between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid on Saturday, Zidane was asked whether this exchange of statements between the players affected Madrid`s dressing room.

Zidane came out defending his players, but he also said that "Sergio is very clever. He can say what he wants, and so can Cristiano. They've spent so long playing together…and it doesn't mean anything if they disagree on something from time to time," according to Reuters.

Previously this month, Ramos criticized Cristiano for having assured that Madrid had a worse template than last year, after the loss of Alvaro Morata and James Rodriguez to Chelsea and Bayern Munich, respectively.

Zidane had previously stated, "These things are sorted out internally, and it is already fixed. There's going to be no problem between Sergio and Cristiano. All I can say is I have two players who form part of the history of this club; they know what is at stake on Saturday and they respect each other a lot."

Zidane also spoke about the rumors raised in the past days concerning the possible departure of 25-year-old Neymar from Paris Saint Germain.

"We are only focused on what is ours, what we have to do; we are not going to change or prevent people from thinking or talking about Real Madrid,” remarked Zidane.

PSG signed Neymar from Barcelona after they paid his release clause of €222 million ($262 million) to the club. Neymar shined in his first days with the Parisian club, but it seems that he has some problems adapting in Paris.

At the insistence of the journalists, Zidane said of Neymar, "I am with my players, and I only think of them. Neymar is very good, but I have the best ones here and the dressing room thinks the same. We have to focus on our squad and the future will be ours."