Zinedine Zidane Comments on Cristiano Ronaldo After Las Palmas vs. Real Madrid

Zinedine Zidane has insisted there is no rift between him and Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese superstar appeared to insult the Real Madrid manager when he was substituted against Las Palmas on Saturday.  

Ronaldo was replaced by Lucas Vazquez in the 72nd minute in Gran Canaria with the score at 2-1 before Las Palmas claimed a late equaliser to condemn Real to their second draw on the bounce.

Speaking ahead of Real's UEFA Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, Zidane admitted that Ronaldo, 31, was aggrieved to be replaced but said he made the decision for the forward's own good, per Tom Sheen in the Sun:

"

Everything is normal. It is not just Cristiano—all players can be angry when they leave the pitch. 

We're already thinking about tomorrow's game. I took the decision for the good of the player.

Nothing has changed. All this talk [about the incident], more than about tomorrow's game, well we must live with that.

We are relaxed. I'm not stupid, and he is intelligent. We are all here for the same thing.

"

According to Sport (Warning: NSFW language), Deportes Cuatro cameras caught Ronaldo raging from the bench at Zidane after being taken off, saying "your f--king mother" or "f--k you" to the Frenchman, as well as swearing in Portuguese.

It was a rarity to see Ronaldo replaced as, if fit, he invariably stays on for the duration, such is his importance to the Los Blancos side.

Indeed, Sky Sports' James Wheeler claimed Saturday's incident was a La Liga first for Ronaldo at Real:

However, it was not a career-first for the three-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Per AS, Ronaldo had a similarly angry reaction to being hooked by Sir Alex Ferguson during a Manchester derby clash while at Manchester United. 

He is famously competitive and wants to play every single minute. It was little surprise to see his outburst against Las Palmas and, if Zidane is to be believed, Ronaldo was simply reacting angrily to the situation and no long-term issues remain. 

If it means that Ronaldo is now fresher for Tuesday's very tricky clash at Dortmund and helps Real to victory, then Zidane will surely have made the right decision.