Real Madrid president Florentino Perez described head coach Zinedine Zidane as a "blessing from heaven" after his latest final triumph.
Zidane has won each of his finals as Madrid coach, taking his tally of successes to nine with a tense victory against Atletico Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana on Sunday.
Madrid won 4-1 on penalties after a goalless draw, scraping to a shoot-out after Federico Valverde was sent off for a cynical foul on a goalbound Alvaro Morata late in extra time.
This was the first title of Zidane's second stint as Madrid boss - the first returning three straight Champions League wins - but Perez is confident the Frenchman is ready to deliver further success.
"[Zidane] has plenty of trophies and we're very happy for him," Perez said, as reported by Marca. "I hope that he wins more trophies.
"Zidane has a loving relationship with Real Madrid. He decided to rest for a year and now he's returned with renewed energy. Zidane is a blessing from heaven."
READ |
Perez felt the triumph at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah was particularly impressive given the absence of a number of key men, including Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale.
"We came here without some great players like Hazard, Benzema and Bale," he said. "Zidane has been able to put together a team and we won the trophy.
"I think that we're on the path to finding ourselves again after a little dip. New people have come in who have given the team intensity and we're on a good path."
But Perez reserved some praise for goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who saved from Thomas Partey in the shoot-out.
"We brought [Courtois] here because we believe that he's the best goalkeeper in the world, and he has been," Perez said. "He was one of the key players in the victory."
Zidane felt that his team's patience following a goalless end to the regulation time paid off.
"I don't know why we've won nine out of nine. It's because that's what this club is like. It hasn't been easy, we've been patient, calm. At half-time, we didn't know how to get closer to goal, but we had patience. We believed until the end, like always.
"Winning a trophy is never easy and even less so against Atletico. Both teams had chances. We're still in lots of competitions. We have to be happy, but there's still lots to come. We have to keep working. We'll rest a bit and play again, as we can't think about dropping [our level]. Now, we're going to enjoy ourselves, but there's still a long way to go in LaLiga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey."
Comments
Follow Us
SHARE