Zinedine Zidane descried Cristiano Ronaldo as “unique” while Toni Kroos called him “incredible” after the striker hit a hat-trick in the 3-0 defeat of Atlético Madrid to carry Real to the verge of a third Champions League final in four years.
Ronaldo has scored eight goals in the quarter-finals and semi-finals of this year’s competition and enters the season’s final weeks in the best form of the campaign. In previous years he has struggled physically at this stage but Zidane has sought to protect him through rotation and rest.
The results have been spectacular, although the Real Madrid manager refused to take the credit. “He knows himself that sometimes he has to not play,” Zidane said. “It’s not just this year; it’s an accumulation over the years. He knows that himself because he is intelligent.”
Ronaldo gave Real an early lead with a header and secured a formidable first-leg advantage with two more goals – a thunderous shot and a simple side-foot – in the last 17 minutes. “The team were tremendous,” he said. “It was me who ended up scoring but the whole team played well from start to finish. Goals arrive naturally – it’s normal.
“I am happy to have scored my 400th goal for Real Madrid,” Ronaldo added, although official statistics have him on 399.
