MADRID: Zinedine Zidane said on Saturday Eden Hazard had apologised to him, the players and the club for laughing with Chelsea players after Real Madrid’s Champions League exit earlier this week. Hazard joked with Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma and Edouard Mendy after the full-time whistle on Wednesday at Stamford Bridge, where Madrid had lost 2-0, and 3-1 on aggregate, to go out in the semi-finals.

It prompted an angry reaction from sections of the media in Spain, with Madrid newspaper Marca claiming Hazard’s “popularity is now at rock bottom”. The Belgium attacker issued a public apology to Madrid fans on Thursday and Zidane said in a press conference that Hazard also said sorry to his teammates.