'Haven't heard of Antonio Cassano?' Netizens slam Real Madrid flop over remarks on Ronaldo

Former Italy international footballer Antonio Cassano made some scathing remarks about five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo saying that he is 'not even in the top five footballers' in history. However, fans on social media quickly came to the defence of the Portuguese superstar reminding Cassano that Ronaldo will never be forgotten while most people do not even remember the ex-Italy forward anymore or remember him for all the wrong reasons.

"Is Cristiano Ronaldo the best in the history of football?" said  Cassano on legendary fellow Azzurri forward Christian Vieiri's Twitch channel, Bobo TV. "He is not even in the top five," the 39-year-old, who retired in 2017, stated."For me, (Lionel) Messi, Pele, (Diego) Maradona, (Johan) Cruyff and Ronaldo (Nazario) are on another level."

Social media jumped to the defence of Cristiano Ronaldo, some reminding Cassano of CR7s insane stats while others went 

Who is Antonio Cassano?

So who is this former player lashing out Cristiano Ronaldo? Cassano started his career at the Italian club Bari and move on to AS Roma for €30 million, where he spent five seasons and was considered one of the promising strikers coming out of Italy. He was awarded the  Serie A Young Footballer of the Year twice, once in 2001 and then in 2003. Yet, in a promising AS Roma side that featured Gabriel Batistuta and Francesco Totti, he was known more for his short temper and disrespect towards the management.

During his last couple of seasons at Roma, he had a falling with skipper Francesco Totti and subsequently, he departed the club after having made 161 appearances and scoring 52 goals. He then moved to Real Madrid in 2006 for just €5 million and over there he also fought with the then Los Blancos manager Fabio Capello who benched the Italian forward. In an interview with a Roman radio station, Cassano said he would "walk all the way back" to rejoin Roma, and indicated his eagerness to make peace with Totti. He then departed Madrid after making only 29 appearances and scoring just four goals. 

Cassano's short temper and disputes with managers and teammates led to the birth of the term "cassanata" by his former coach, Capello, in 2012. The word is now regularly used by Italian sports journalists as a euphemism for any behaviour incompatible with team spirit. Cassano also gained notoriety for being visibly overweight and for openly partaking in x-rated binges.

Not the first time Cassano has taken a dig at Ronaldo

This was not the first time Cassano has taken a dig at Cristiano Ronaldo. Back in March 2021, Cassano called Ronaldo 'selfish' and said that the Portuguese star only cares about scoring goals.

"Cristiano only thinks about his goals and records," Cassano said in March of this year according to The Daily Mail. "He's always been a bit selfish, he doesn't give a damn about others scoring goals. He does not live for the game - he lives for the goal and in this moment the situation is getting worse. I think Cristiano has done terribly over the last three years."

However, it is safe to say that Ronaldo will not give extra thought to the words of a player who scored just over 139 goals through his entire career. Even those who despise him have come to agree that Ronaldo is leagues above such words and his trophy cabinet, individual and team records, and achievements do all the talking for him.

(Image: AP/EPLBible/Twitter)