Real Madrid coach says it is too early to talk of his era

Madrid, April 27: Real Madrid chief coach Zinedine Zidane said on Friday that although he was the only coach to win two consecutive Champions League with the capital football powerhouse, it was too early to talk of a Zidane era at the club.

The French head coach spoke to press two days after the Spanish giants beat Bayern Munich away in a first-leg semi-final that edged Madrid that bit closer to a third UEFA Champions League final running, reported Efe.

"I've been here for a year and a half. We cannot talk of Zidane's Real Madrid, we have trainers who have been here for a long time and have done a lot," said the Frenchman, who spent part of his professional playing career with Los Blancos and last season also coached the club to the LA Liga title.

"Although I feel good and I like that what we are doing here, I think we have to wait a little bit before we can say that," he said.

He said his focus was to remain at the club and work on the day-to-day.

Asked about the role of Wales star Gareth Bale and France's Karim Benzema, who have both recently gone from first XI fixtures to regular substitutes, Zidane said he was asking them to give all they could for the rest of the season and not to let rumours affect their well-being.

"The important message for Gareth and Karim, as with everyone else, is that we must remain tight-knit," he said. IANS