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| Antonio Cassano launches a bizarre rant at Cristiano Ronaldo |
Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo has faced accusations of lacking fundamental football skills. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner recently made history by becoming the first player ever to score 900 goals for both club and country. Antonio Cassano launches a bizarre rant at Cristiano Ronaldo, stating the Portugal star doesn’t know how to play football. However, former Real Madrid forward Antonio Cassano believes this achievement holds little significance. Cassano, who played for the White Angels from 2006 to 2008, made this controversial statement while appearing on the Viva El Futbol podcast, via Tribuna. The 39-cap Italian international remarked: “Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t know how to play football.
He could score 3,000 goals, and I wouldn’t care.” He further emphasised: “Players like [Gonzalo] Higuain, [Sergio] Aguero, [Karim] Benzema, [Robert] Lewandowski, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, and [Luis] Suarez understood how to connect with their teammates.” This isn’t the first time Cassano has expressed criticism of the Al-Nassr star. Back in 2022, he suggested that Ronaldo should retire due to his lack of playing time at Manchester United. “A player like Cristiano needs to consider his own situation, and if he can’t perform anymore, then it’s time to step away. It’s a standard in all sports—just retire, it’s enough! He has achieved everything, been a phenomenal player, and made a fortune, yet he’s not a starter at Manchester United now.” Cassano scored four goals in 28 appearances for Madrid, while Ronaldo netted an impressive 450 goals in 438 matches, per Transfermarkt.
During his tenure in Spain, CR7 became the quickest player to reach 100 goals for a single club, achieving the milestone in just 105 games – a record only matched by Erling Haaland after he scored against Arsenal on Sunday. Cassano later played for AC Milan and Inter Milan, but the peak of his career was with AS Roma from 2001 to 2006, which ultimately led to his transfer to Real Madrid. Cassano’s achievements Cassano hung up his boots in 2018 after a year without a club, concluding his career with a tally of 139 goals in club football and 10 goals for the Italian national team, including three scored during the European Championships, per Transfermarkt.
Throughout his career, he secured titles including La Liga, Serie A, and two Italian Super Cups, while representing clubs such as Bari, Sampdoria, Parma, and Hellas Verona. In 2001, at just 19 years old, he joined Roma for a then-record transfer fee of €30 million, making it the highest transfer fee ever paid for a teenager at that time.
by Celine Nyambura