Zidane will face physical marking all season says Guti

Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid teammate Jose Maria Guti on Monday warned the club's world record transfer signing he faces physical marking throughout his debut season in Spain.

Zidane was given an uncomfortable introduction to the Spanish league as Real were beaten 1-0 by Valencia on Saturday in his first league match since joining from Juventus for 65.8 million dollars.

Real coach Vicente Del Bosque was furious at Valencia midfielder David Albelda's marking job on Zidane, who was repeatedly fouled.

Guti said: "Zidane is going to be marked like that every Sunday and he will often get knocks.

"We, his teammates, must protect him a bit but it is really the referees who must do it. They must know that a player like him will be the target of lots of knocks and they must be on the lookout for that," he added.

But Guti has no doubt that Zidane, the World Player of the Year, can overcome the rough tactics of opponents and make a huge impact in Spain.

"He is a tough and durable player and he has come from Italy where he has been used to taking plenty of knocks and their championship is far more aggressive than here," said Guti.