Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has claimed that Florentino Perez's decision to sell Cristiano Ronaldo last summer led to Zinedine Zidane leaving the club.
Both Zidane and Ronaldo left the Spanish giants last summer, with the former stepping down from his position as head coach while the latter was sold to Italian champions Juventus.
Los Blancos won a fourth Club World Cup in the latter stages of 2018, but they have struggled for consistency in La Liga this season and currently sit 10 points off leaders Barcelona.
Calderon, who was Madrid president between 2006 and 2009, has said that Perez's decision to sell Ronaldo and keep hold of Gareth Bale ultimately led to Zidane stepping away from his role at the Bernabeu.
"Zidane insisted on keeping Cristiano and selling Bale," Calderon told AS. "Instead, Perez did the opposite. Zidane wanted to have decision-making power when it came to signing and selling players, but his suggestions were ignored, so he decided to move on. Zidane made the right decision."
Bale has only managed four La Liga goals this season and is currently on the sidelines with a calf problem.
Matt Law
