Ronaldo will always score goals – Zidane

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane says Cristiano Ronaldo can always be trusted to score goals following his hat-trick in the 3-0 Champions League win over Wolfsburg.

Some observers have, at times this season, suggested Ronaldo may be past his prime, but the 31-year-old has been instrumental to his team of late, scoring five goals from four games in all competitions this month.

The former Manchester United star scored the winner as Madrid beat arch rivals Barcelona 2-1 away from home in El Clasico and he followed that up with his heroics on the European stage, firing his team into the semi-finals of the Champions League, where they will face Manchester City.

“It has always been like this with Cristiano,” Zidane said at a media conference ahead of the Liga match at Getafe on Saturday.

“There are always moments when an attacker does not score, but Cristiano never needs to worry about it because he will always score goals.

“You can see on his face that he is very happy. We are pleased with everything. We always try to make sure the players are at ease.

“Cristiano will be playing again versus Getafe.”

Madrid have closed to within four points of La Liga leaders Barcelona following the Catalans’ poor run of form and Zidane wants his players to retain their focus during what is set to be a dramatic run-in.

“We have no influence on what happens at Barcelona. We can only focus on what we are doing. We are in great shape physically and are still improving.

“I am very happy with how things are going at the moment. If we end up winning a trophy it is down to all the hard work. Only one team can win La Liga in the end. I do not want to talk about Barcelona’s situation. I do not like to talk about a team that is not doing well, while my team is doing well. We cannot let our guard down. We have to be focused and continue on this path.

“I don’t know whether winning all our remaining games is enough to win the title. We are third at the moment and have to catch Atletico in second position first. But the players know what’s at stake. We went from being 13 points down to trailing by four points and we cannot let up now.

“I do not like Saturday’s game against Getafe. It might seem like it will be an easy game, but it will be a very complicated match. It is not easy to play against a team that nearly sits at the bottom of the table.”