Ronaldo contract talks can wait until after winter break, says Zidane

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane is open to talks with Cristiano Ronaldo about a new and improved contract – but only after Christmas.

Ronaldo recently won his fifth Ballon d’Or award, but reports in Spain suggest he is unhappy at falling behind Lionel Messi and Neymar in the list of the world’s highest-paid players.

Messi signed a new long-term contract with Barcelona last month, while Neymar made a world-record £200m (€225m) summer move from Barca to Paris St Germain.

That was a secondary issue for Zidane as he addressed reporters in Spain ahead of Saturday’s Clasico against Barca.

“He is 100% [fit] and that is what interests me,” said Zidane, in comments reported by Marca.

“I’m not going to go into everything before the game tomorrow, that is not the issue. What Cristiano has to think about is the match. It’s the same for everyone.

“What I think is that Cristiano, what he has done and what he is doing, deserves all of the club’s respect, but only after the winter break will we talk about it.”

Ronaldo was reported during the summer to be eyeing a return to England after an investigation in Spain into his tax returns.