Lucas Vazquez has put Real Madrid's successful 2016-17 campaign down to the management of Zinedine Zidane, claiming that the Frenchman 'delivered on his promise' of giving every player a chance to shine.
The 25-year-old played a big part in Los Blancos' double-winning season, culminating in last weekend's victory over Juventus in Cardiff to add the Champions League crown to their La Liga title.
Not since 1958 have Real won those two competitions in the same season, and Vazquez believes that manager Zidane deserves huge praise for getting the best out of each and every one of his players through squad rotation.
"The fact that I played 50 games is something to be happy about," he told Marca. "It is an important figure. If I have done well, it is because the coach trusts me and gives me many opportunities. I just try to repay him on the field and hope I can do it for many more games and many more years.
"That has been a little bit of the secret to our success this season. The fact that we can make nine or 10 changes in a game means the team is more rested and all players in the squad are more involved. Above all, we can reach an important game like the Champions League final in as fresh a condition as when we started the season.
"It has allowed us to compete well in two competitions, La Liga and the Champions League, and given us a good chance of winning them. From the start of the season he told us what his idea was and what each player's role would be in the team. The truth is he delivered on that.
"He gave us all opportunities, he gave everyone playing time. That makes it a group success as well as an individual one. Zidane only asks that you train well and then he decides on the games we will play in."
Vazquez featured 33 times in La Liga this term and a further 10 times in the Champions League, but he was not used in the 4-1 final win over Juventus.
Daniel Lewis
