"Not among the best players in the world" - Antonio Cassano makes bold claim about Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester United attacker Cristiano Ronaldo isn't among the greatest players in the football world, as per former Real Madrid striker Antonio Cassano. This is despite the Portuguese' incredible numbers for club and country. He claims the Portuguese is better described as a good forward.

Ronaldo dominated newspaper headlines after bagging a hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League last weekend. With that effort, the Portuguese raised his career tally to 807 goals for club and country, becoming the leading goalscorer in men's football history.

After reaching the milestone, fans and pundits took turns praising the attacker. Many hailed him as the greatest player to ever grace the pitch. Cassano, however, doesn't think the Manchester United forward has done enough to be compared to football's finest.

The Italian said on Bobo TV, on the Twitch TV platform, as quoted by A Bola:

“I take my hat off for the 807 goals he scored. But Cristiano Ronaldo is not among the best players in the world. Goalscorer? Yes. Is he a strong forward? Also. Did he win titles? He won."

The former Real Madrid and Roma striker went on to claim that Ronaldo is just as fabulous as the likes of Filippo Inzaghi and David Trezeguet. According to him, goals do not define a player. That's why the Portuguese doesn't belong in the same class as legends like Andres Iniesta and Zinedine Zidane.

He continued:

"Cristiano Ronaldo is like Inzaghi and Trezeguet. They were fabulous players, but let's be honest: playing football is something else. Goals do not define a player. Iniesta didn't score 60 goals, Zidane didn't reach 100…. Those are the geniuses who made football history."

Ronaldo bagged a hat-trick for Manchester United at the weekend

Cristiano Ronaldo's numbers for Manchester United so far this term

Although the Red Devils have failed to impress with their efforts this season, it'd be unfair to say Ronaldo hasn't proven himself individually. The attacker has been by far the best player in the squad since returning to Old Trafford last summer.

So far, he's made 32 appearances for the club across all competitions, recording 18 goals and three assists to his name. However, a big question mark remains on his continuity with the club as they continue to struggle to produce decent performances on the pitch.