"Can even score three thousand goals, I don't care" - When Antonio Cassano claimed Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't 'know how to play football'

During an interview in 2024, former Italian international Antonio Cassano blasted Cristiano Ronaldo's footballing abilities. The Portuguese legend is widely considered one of the greatest players in the history of professional football.

In a September 2024 interview, Cassano blasted Ronaldo's abilities as a footballer, saying (via Sapodesporto):

"Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't know how to play football. He can even score three thousand goals, I don't care at all. Players such as Higuain, Lewandowski, Benzema, Aguero, Ibrahimovic or Suarez, they know how to play football, because they realize that it is a team game. What's Cristiano's goal? Score goals and more goals."

This was not the first time the former Italian international criticized the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. In 2022, Cassano urged the Portuguese legend to retire from the game, saying:

"If it doesn't work anymore, close the store. This is the fear of great phenomena from every point of view. Cristiano won everything, he was a phenomenon: now he must stop, enough. At Manchester United he has already been thrown into the bank (.). As a player I don't like Cristiano, but I have respect for his career. As a person I don't know him, but I don't like him as a player."

Antonio Cassano represented clubs like AS Roma, Real Madrid, and AC Milan in his career. He scored 149 goals in his career and won one LaLiga, one Scudetto, and two Italian Supercups.

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Cristiano Ronaldo's footballing legacy

Cristiano Ronaldo has a strong claim to be the greatest footballer of all time. The Portuguese superstar has claimed every prize in European football and is the most prolific footballer in the game's history, with over 930 strikes to his name.

Ronaldo started his career with Sporting CP in his native Portugal before securing a €19 million move to Manchester United in the summer of 2003. He spent six years with the Red Devils and won his first Ballon d'Or award there before joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 for a then-world record €94 million fee.

The Portuguese legend enjoyed a legendary run with Los Blancos, bagging 451 goals from 438 games before he joined Juventus in 2018 for a reported €117 million fee. He rejoined Manchester United in 2021 for a reported £17 million fee before joining his current club, Al-Nassr, in January 2023 after his contract with the Red Devils was terminated.

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 135 goals in 216 appearances to help Portugal win two major trophies. The legendary forward has also won five Ballon d'Or awards, four European Golden Boots, seven domestic league titles, 11 domestic cups, and five UEFA Champions League titles.