Ronaldo Told to Reduce Sprints As Real Look to Keep Megastar Fresh for Bayern Showdown

According to a report, Zinedine Zidane has instructed Cristian Ronaldo to curb his explosive sprinting in league games, in a bid to keep him as fresh as possible for the season's run-in.

El Confidencial has claimed that the Real Madrid manager has told Ronaldo to cut down on his sprinting in a bid to keep his fitness levels up ahead of their crunch Champions League showdown with Bayern Munich.

The Real superstar is renowned for his explosive sprints over 30 or 40 metres, but Zidane has asked Ronaldo to take them down a notch - to lengths of between 10 and 12 metres instead - in an effort to prevent wear and tear on his legs as Los Blancos look to defend their European crown.

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Ronaldo's explosive burst of pace allows him to ghost past defenders and beat opposing players over a short distance and, while 'Zizou' is wary of halting that part of his star player's game entirely, he wants the 33-year-old to rein in how much he exerts himself outside of Los Blancos last chance for silverware this season - the Champions League

Sprinting less will, in theory, allow Ronaldo to recover quicker and ensure that his energy levels are sufficient enough for the two-legged semi final clash with Bundesliga champions Bayern on Wednesday and next Tuesday.

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Real will seek to become the first club since, ironically, Bayern to win the European Cup three times in a row, and a triumph in the final next month would likely give Zidane a stay of execution after Real failed to defend La Liga crown this term.

Given how important Ronaldo is to those chances - the Portugal captain having netted a ridiculous 26 goals since the turn of the year - it is within Real's best interests to keep him as fit as possible for the final four weeks of this term.