Real Madrid youngster Marco Asensio says Cristiano Ronaldo has no problem allowing him to take free kicks around the penalty area sometimes -- another sign that of the 22-year-old's growing importance for the club.
During the first half of Sunday's 6-3 La Liga victory at home to Girona, Ronaldo appeared to take a free kick just outside the penalty area, then stepped aside for Asensio to fire in a shot, which was saved.
Asensio scored three direct free kicks for Mallorca back in 2014-15, and also fired one to the top corner in a 2-2 home draw with Valencia.
Aseniso told Cadena Ser that if he was feeling confident then he got a chance to have a go, helped by his good relationship with the Portugal captain.
"Cristiano took the first, for the second I had confidence to take it," Asensio said. "I have a very good relationship with him, and he leaves it to me if I see a chance. Before the game there is always a plan, but if you are feeling confident and he leaves it to you [then you take it]."
Asked during the interview about Madrid's reported interest in Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar, Asensio dodged the question while not ruling out the possibility.
"We will see what happens with Neymar, it is not the moment to think about that now with such important things coming," he said. "He is a great player, has shown that at Barcelona and PSG, and we will see if we are teammates at some point."
Asensio also backed coach Zinedine Zidane to continue at the Bernabeu past the summer, praising the way he had guided the team through rocky spells earlier this season.
"I believe he should continue, he has solved everything well," he said. "He has won La Liga and the Champions League ... I believe that the demands are so high that things are quickly forgotten. I believe he is the ideal coach [for Real Madrid]."