Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane defends decision to substitute furious Cristiano Ronaldo
French chief claims he removed CR7 from the pitch in order to rest him for their game with Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday
REAL MADRID boss Zinedine Zidane has defended his decision to sub Cristiano Ronaldo during his side's disappointing 2-2 draw with Gran Canaria, claiming the forward needed a rest.
French chief Zidane, 44, withdrew Ron from the field after 72 minutes of the La Liga clash - with the Portuguese forward visibly angered by the move.
Ronaldo's mum Dolores Aveiro was also frustrated with her son being replaced by Lucas Vasquez
However, the Galacticos boss claimed CR7 was only subbed as he wanted him fresh for Real's Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night.
In a bid to down-play any potential row with his star forward, Zidane said: "It was not that [Ronaldo] was playing badly.
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"We are playing on Tuesday and Cristiano must rest too sometimes. It was just for that.
"He was playing well. Tonight I took him off thinking of Tuesday's game."
When asked about Ronaldo's visibly frustrated reaction, Zidane claimed that his No7 wasn't as cross as he originally appeared.
"Angry? That would be your interpretation.
"He always wants to be on the pitch. We have to take him out sometimes, and we did today. It does not change anything."
Real Madrid are still top of La Liga with 14 points from their six games, with Barcelona one point back.