Cristiano Ronaldo trolled by ex-Real Madrid forward in bizarre ‘doesn’t know how to play football’ rant

With five Ballons d’Or and countless records to his name, current Al-Nassr forward Ronaldo has cemented a standing among the all-time greats. His legacy will live on well beyond the hanging up of boots – whenever the day comes for retirement to be taken.

CR7 does not, however, enjoy universal acclaim. Former Italy international Cassano, who severed ties with the ‘Galacticos’ at Santiago Bernabeu a year prior to Ronaldo’s arrival in 2009, has never been a big fan of what the mercurial Portuguese has to offer.

With Ronaldo in the process of chasing down 1,000 career goals – as he continues to play on with club and country at 39 years of age – outspoken Cassano has told the Viva El Futbol podcast: “Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't know how to play football. He could score 3000 goals, I don't give a f*ck. [Gonzalo] Higuain, [Sergio] Aguero, [Karim] Benzema, [Robert] Lewandowski, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic and [Luis] Suarez knew how to link-up with the team. They knew how to do a lot of things, unlike Ronaldo whose only objective has always been to score.”

Cassano said of Ronaldo back in 2022, when suggesting that the time had come for him to walk away from competitive action: “A guy like Cristiano has to think about himself and if you can't do it anymore then you have to call it a day. It's a rule in all sports. Retire, that's enough! He has won everything, he has been a phenomenon, he has earned a lot of money and now he is not a starter at Manchester United.”

Ronaldo was released by United in November 2022, allowing him to head to the Saudi Pro League – where his prolific strike rate has been maintained. Cassano, meanwhile, retired in 2017 at the age of 35 having spent time with the likes of Real, Roma, Sampdoria, AC Milan, Inter and Parma.