Zinedine Zidane Admits Cristiano Ronaldo 'Happier When He Scores' After Win

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane admitted star man Cristiano Ronaldo is frustrated by his lack of goals in La Liga this season but insisted he "always makes the difference in the end." 

The Portuguese superstar has scored just once in seven appearances in the Spanish top flight so far in 2017-18 but did provide an assist as Real beat Las Palmas 3-0 on Sunday.

It was a welcome victory for Real following back-to-back defeats to Girona and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively, and Zidane was eager to highlight the positives, per Dermot Corrigan on ESPN.co.uk:

"The players needed it. The previous two games were a difficult blow. But we know we can improve things, and we will, for sure. Today it was important to win.

"You always think about negative things. I always see the positive side. Cristiano gave the assist, and I know he was very happy with it. We know that Cristiano likes to score goals, he is happier when he scores. Maybe he is not scoring now in La Liga, but he is in the Champions League. When he doesn't score, he still brings other useful things for the team. And Cristiano always makes the difference in the end."

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As noted by the French manager, Ronaldo, 32, has continued to be on top goalscoring form in the Champions League, netting six times in four matches.

But his La Liga return this season is startling, particularly given his career record in the Spanish top flight for Real is better than a goal per game.

Real needed a victory on Sunday after table-topping Barcelona briefly moved 11 points clear of them following their defeat of Sevilla.

The hosts endured a largely poor first half at the Santiago Bernabeu before Casemiro netted just before the break, and Marco Asensio and Isco added to the tally in the second half.

Real now have two weeks to wait until they visit Atletico Madrid in their next fixture after the international break.

Zidane revealed he is hoping Gareth Bale will be ready to take on Atleti having been absent through injury since September, per Corrigan: "The intention now is to push with Gareth. He is doing well and now we have fortnight for him to be perfect. We will see how we manage him, but the idea is for him to be ready against Atletico after the break."