Zinedine Zidane Reveals He Told Real Madrid Players to Focus on 'Own Game' in Champions League Final

Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has revealed what he told his side to do in order to combat the threat of Liverpool's forwards in the Champions League final last season. 

In an interview with UEFA, Zidane opened up on Los Blancos' tactics in the showpiece event, which Real triumphed 3-1 in following a brace from Gareth Bale.

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Early on in that fixture, Liverpool's star man Mohamed Salah was forced to leave the field after injuring his shoulder in a clash with Sergio Ramos - a challenge that Ramos came in for widespread criticism for after the game, with suggestions that he had intentionally taken him out.

When asked if he had given his players special instructions in dealing with Salah, or any of his teammates, Zidane said: "Not at all! Our game was always the same, regardless of who we were facing.

"We told players about the individual characteristics of opposing players, so that they were aware of specific things that those players did.

"But I didn’t want to do too much of that, as I wanted my players to focus primarily on our own game."

The Frenchman has since left the Santiago Bernabeu, and has been heavily tipped to succeed Jose Mourinho at Manchester United with the Portuguese boss' future at Old Trafford in doubt.

Despite those links, Zidane appears in no rush to continue his hugely successful managerial elsewhere. Instead, the 46-year-old has reflected on his time at the Santiago Bernabeu and the memories he created, mostly those in the Champions League.

"All three titles were fantastic. They were all special for different reasons. The first stands out because it was my first as a coach; the second was both symbolic and intense – with us facing Juventus and turning in an exceptional second-half performance. 

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"And the third topped off my three seasons as coach of Real Madrid."