Cristiano Ronaldo honoured Zinedine Zidane on Instagram in the wake of Thursday’s shock announcement that the Frenchman stepped down as manager of Real Madrid.
“I’m just proud of being your player. Mister, thanks for so much.” Ronaldo said in the caption, as translated by The Mirror.
Less than a week after guiding the team to its third successive Champions League crown, Zidane called a news conference to reveal his intention to leave the Spanish giant after two-and-a-half years in charge.
Real Madrid won nine trophies during his brief spell as manager.
Ronaldo also thrived under Zidane, capturing a pair of Ballon d’Or awards and various other personal honours during his short time with the 46-year-old.
London – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will start the English champions’ quest for a first Champions League title from the stands next season after being hit with a two-game touchline ban by UEFA on Monday.
Liverpool were also fined €20,000 (£17,567) by UEFA for the damage caused to City’s team bus on their arrival at Anfield for the first leg of a bad-tempered Champions League quarter-final between the sides as windows of the vehicle were shattered by bottles and cans thrown by supporters.
The second match of Guardiola’s ban, though, is suspended for a probationary period of one season.
The Catalan coach was sent off for furiously protesting after City were wrongly denied a second goal in the second leg with the tie still in the balance.
City were leading 1-0 on the night after a 3-0 first-leg defeat when Leroy Sane was flagged offside despite the ball towards the German winger coming off Liverpool’s James Milner.
With Guardiola sent to the stands by Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz for the second half, City went on to lose 2-1 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate.
Liverpool were also fined a further €9,000 for the setting off of fireworks in the second leg with City and the second leg of their semi-final at Roma.
Gianluigi Buffon has been suspended three matches in UEFA competitions next season as a result of his outburst toward referee Michael Oliver after the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid in April, his last match in Europe with Juventus.
Buffon was incensed with Oliver after the official called a penalty in Real Madrid’s favour in the dying minutes of the second leg after Juventus had erased the Spanish side’s 3-0 advantage on aggregate. In a fit of disbelief, Buffon appeared to shove Oliver before being shown a red card for his dissent.
After the match, and with Juventus eliminated from the Champions League, Buffon continued to express his displeasure with Oliver’s decision to award the penalty, stating the referee had a “trash can” for a heart before doubling down on his comments days later.
Buffon, however, eventually apologised for his behaviour at a press conference where he also announced his intention to leave Juventus.
“After that match, I went beyond the limits with the things I said about the referee and I apologise for that. … If I saw the referee again, I would give him a hug and say that he should have taken more time with that decision in such an important game for us and for me,” Buffon said.
The Italian goalkeeping legend has yet to announce his destination for next season, though reports in late May suggested he was in advanced negotiations on a move to French giant Paris Saint-Germain.
AS Roma supporters won’t be following their team away from home for one European match next season due to the violence that occurred ahead of a Champions League semi-final against Liverpool in April.
On Tuesday, UEFA fined the Italian side €50,000 and issued a two-match ban on selling away tickets. However, the second match of the ban will be deferred under a probationary period of two years, the European governing body announced.
The charges stem from crowd disturbances outside of Anfield. Liverpool supporter Sean Cox suffered serious head injuries in an attack allegedly carried out by Roma fans.
The incident took place less than an hour before Liverpool beat Roma 5-2 in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final on April 24.
Related: Roma chairman blasts ‘moron’ fans over Liverpool fan assault
Cox underwent surgery in Liverpool before returning home to Ireland.
A pair of Roma fans, Filippo Lombardi (20) and Daniele Sciusco (29), were charged with violent disorder. Lombardi was also charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm.
