'He found a great team that I didn't fit into' - James on lack of playing time under Zidane

James Rodriguez has addressed the media speculation surrounding his relationship with Zinedine Zidane during their time together at Real Madrid, clarifying that there was no personal conflict between them, despite the noise in the press.

In a recent interview, the Colombian midfielder said: "When Zidane arrived, there was a lot of noise from the press. Nothing happened between us, I wasn't angry with him as was said."

The playmaker acknowledged that Zidane inherited a strong team, one where he didn't always fit into the starting lineup for key matches. "He found a great team that I didn't fit into. I played, but he didn't use me in the key games. He used Kroos, Casemiro and Modric, and that's respectable."

Despite feeling underutilised in important matches, he praised Zidane's managerial abilities and expressed satisfaction with his legacy at the club.