said the coach.

Real Madrid won their 34th LaLiga title, and Zidane expressed his joy at the online press conference following the clash with Villarreal.

The coach reflected:

It’s huge. It’s a constant battle. There are 38 games, and only at the end can you achieve something great like today. I’m extremely thankful to the players, first and foremost, because they’re the ones fighting out on the pitch. I have my role and I’m with them, but it’s a team effort. This is a huge achievement, it’s incredibly emotional. It’s very tough to win the Spanish league, very tough indeed.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, especially when you’re at Real Madrid, because that’s the way it is. That doesn’t make me any more or less happy. When there is criticism, all I can do is try and do my job. I’m passionate and I have the good fortune to be at this great club with these players, who are ultimately the ones who have fought to achieve a beautiful thing following the confinement. It’s 10 wins from 10 games, it’s tremendous.

Special league title

I feel extremely happy, for all I have. As you said, the first LaLiga was wonderful, but this one has a special taste to it after two months at home. Then we came back and we prepared in a different fashion, winning a league title which, I think, is always the hardest. We did it, it’s everyone’s success because this is a team and all the sacrifice has paid off.

Ramos, the team’s leader

I have a good relationship with the players. As it should be, every day and whatever happens, even at the most difficult times. We’ve had tough times even though we’ve won a lot, but the relationship has always been good with everyone. They’re extremely professional and respectful, but what I’m most concerned with is the relationships they have with each other. You highlight Sergio Ramos. He is our leader, he drives the team on. We all bring something different to the team but he’s our captain. We have 4 captains with Marcelo, Varane and Benzema, but it’s true that Sergio is our leader. I think every single madridista feels represented by Sergio in every sense.

Thanks

First, to all the fans because in the end they couldn’t be here out of necessity but they’re there in spirit. They’ve always been with us at the most difficult moments. I think about them, but first and foremost to the squad, those who have worked around the team because there are an awful lot of us here and it’s been a fantastic effort from everyone. But when we achieve something as big as winning the league, it’s because we believe in what we’re doing.

HAPPINESS DOESN’T MAKE A LOT OF NOISE AND ON THE INSIDE, I’M THE HAPPIEST GUY IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW.

It’s amazing. What we’ve been through isn’t easy. It’s been a very tough LaLiga season, but, in the end, thanks to our belief and hard work, we believed and the players are the first ones in that respect because they’re the ones who go out on the pitch and put a shift in. I’m pleased for them. There are people who say that happiness makes no noise, but I’m the happiest person in the world on the inside right now. Many thanks to everyone for the support.

Emotions

I am who I am. It’s true that I’m not an overly expressive person, but, as I say, I feel really happy on the inside. I’ve always said that the LaLiga title wasn’t won but it now is. So I can put on my biggest smile tonight because we can now.

Do you believe you’re a better coach than player?

No. They’re two completely different things. I’ve been a coach for four years and was a player for almost 20. You can’t compare them. If I continue on as a coach, we’ll see about that in the future.

President’s comments

I feel happy because he was the president who brought me here as a player. I’ll always be grateful to him for having brought me to come and play at Real Madrid, the best club in the world. And the story then goes on and it’s thanks to him.

Toughest moment of season

The toughest thing was the game before the confinement when we lost against Betis, because after having beaten Barcelona at home, that was a real setback. We then were all stuck at home for two months and when we came back it was something else. We’ve come back with renewed energy, we wanted to do things properly again and prepare, train well and strongly and we’ve managed 10 wins in the 10 games. Ultimately I’m more relaxed after what we’ve achieved today and the Betis game is no longer on my mind.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.