Konula: UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema
The former Los Blancos boss looked back into his two and a half years at the helm of the Spanish giants, where he won three UEFA Champions League titles in a row.

Zinedine Zidane led Real Madrid to three UEFA CL titles in a row, but he wasn't alone in that task. In an interview with UEFA.com, the French tactician praised two of his footballers who were crucial for the team's accomplishments in his 30 months as Los Blancos manager.

One of those players is obviously Cristiano Ronaldo, a player that had a great relationship with Zidane. It was Zizou who convinced Cristiano to rest in some games, and their chemistry both in and out of the pitch was crucial for their success. The other player Zidane referred to in the interview was none other than captain Sergio Ramos.

Ramos and Zidane during a training session.

"Sergio is a natural leader, with a massive presence in the team's locker room. On the other hand, Cristiano is a true leader on the pitch, he inspires all of hos team-mates. Both of them were players with a lot of energy and with a high level of influence inside the team. Their leadership skills worked like a charm as a whole for the team," Zidane stated.

The former French boss revealed that he urged his players to have control of the ball for as long as they could, but not because it could guarantee them the victory, but because the team worked better when they controlled the ball.

"When you have the ball, you're in control of what happens. That sense of danger is not always with you. Furthemore, you're not running around trying to recover the ball, so you won't get tired trying to do so. We established ourselves as a team that tried to own the ball not just for the stats, but because our system worked when we had it," Zidane added.

According to the French boss, each and everyone of his UCL titles with Real Madrid had a different meaning.

All of them were special for different reasons. The first one stands out because it was my first as a coach. The second one was symbolic and intense, because of our rival (Juventus) and after playing an impressive second half. The third one was the cherry on top of my three seasons at Real Madrid," Zidane said.

Lastly, Zidane shared the key to his success at Real Madrid, even when things seemed to be more complicated.

"I stayed true to the philosophy I shared with my players. It didn't matter who we were up against," Los Blancos' former boss concluded.