Zinedine Zidane Jokes He'll Never Be Real Madrid's Version of Sir Alex Ferguson

Staring elimination from the Champions League in the face, Real Madrid rose to the occasion and picked up a 2-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach which saw them advance to the knockout stages as group winners.

A first-half double from the inspirational Karim Benzema was enough to get the job done for Real, and the victory will have eased the pressure on manager Zinedine Zidane, whose job was rumoured to have been on the line had they not qualified.

“We knew what we were playing for. I'm not going to tell you what I said to the players, these things stay in the dressing room," Zidane said after the game (via the club's official website). "When you look at the game, all the Real Madrid fans can be happy and proud of the team. That's what matters to me. The fans have to be proud of the team. They know we are going to give it everything on the pitch. Today I really enjoyed the game as a fan.

“You can perform with or without pressure. There's no such thing as no pressure here though. We know we can't play brilliantly in every game. That's the problem, when you're in this team, they always expect you to play well. We try but it can't always be the case.

"Sometimes you have to dig in, there's always ups and downs. We read the game well today, particularly from a defensive standpoint because they're a team who are a real threat in the transitions and we controlled that well. In terms of our play, it was spectacular."

Zidane appears set to stay with Real for a little while longer, but he rejected the idea that he could stay enough to become the Real version of Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson, who led the Red Devils for 27 years between 1986 and 2013.

"I'll never be Madrid's Sir Alex Ferguson, that's for sure," he added (via ESPN). "I don't know how long I'll be here, so I don't even think about it. I think about the day-to-day and how lucky I am to be here at this great club.

"I like it, even in the complicated moments, not just when we win," he said. "But I don't know for how long. I've already been here a long time, in Spain, in Madrid, and I want to stay a bit longer."

Despite qualifying as group leaders, Real were rather subdued at the final whistle, instead looking relieved at the fact that they had avoided what would have been a major slip up.

Zidane will need his side to find a way to keep that momentum going as his next job is to address Real's inconsistent La Liga form, starting with an unforgiving Madrid derby against league leaders Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

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