Rossi: Zidane's Madrid exit difficult to understand

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London, June 1: Zinedine Zidane's surprise resignation as Real Madrid boss even sent shockwaves through the motorsport world with MotoGP great Valentino Rossi struggling to understand the Frenchman's decision.

Zidane announced his departure Thursday, less than a week after guiding Madrid to a third successive Champions League crown.

Madrid overcame Liverpool 3-1 in the Kiev showpiece, having finished third and 17 points adrift of champions Barcelona in LaLiga.

The 45-year-old won nine trophies following his appointment in 2016 and seven-time MotoGP champion Rossi was among those surprised by Zidane's exit.

"It's a bit difficult to understand, although football and MotoGP are different," Italian rider Rossi said ahead of the Gran Premio d'Italia Oakley.

"He has won three Champions League titles, which is like winning three world championships in our case.

"If you win, the first thought is that you would want to continue with the same bike and the same team, but he has said that it is the right time and he got all he could from all the players.

"He needed something new, so I do not understand it very well, but maybe in football you need to find new motivations."

Source: OPTA