Cristiano Ronaldo frequently finds himself in conversations about the greatest football players of all time, thanks to his remarkable accomplishments spanning multiple decades.
The ongoing rivalry with Lionel Messi remains a focal point, creating a divide among fans regarding who truly deserves the title of ‘GOAT’ between these legendary athletes.
Ronaldo’s impressive endurance suggests he will continue for several more years as he aims to lead Portugal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
However, former Italian star Antonio Cassano has controversially claimed otherwise, infuriating Ronaldo in the process.
Antonio Cassano’s Remarks on Ronaldo
Cassano discussed his disagreement with Ronaldo after leaving the 39-year-old off his list of the top 10 greatest players ever.
While Messi, Pele, and Diego Maradona made the list, there was no spot for Ronaldo, currently with Al Nassr.
In an appearance on the BSMT Podcast, Cassano stated, “I rank Ronaldo Brazilian as No.1, but Cristiano Ronaldo does not even make my top five or ten because how I evaluate a player is different.”
“Afterward, I finished my work and received a text from a Spanish number. It contained a list of his trophies, goals, and statistics.”
“Then I received a voice message from him saying, ‘You disrespected me; don’t act like that again. You only scored 150 goals and won four trophies.’”
“I replied, ‘Dear Cristiano, I didn’t mean to disrespect you; it’s simply my personal opinion on your playing style. What’s the issue?’”
“He even took the time to contact me. Amazing!”
Ronaldo’s Goal Statistics
In addition to striving to play until the 2026 World Cup, Ronaldo has set his sights on personal glory by attempting to reach the remarkable milestone of 1000 career goals before he retires.
He’s 94 away… do you think Cristiano Ronaldo will reach 1⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣ career goals before he retires?
If he scores the remaining 94 in the same amount of time as his previous 94, it would take until March 2027 – when he would be 42 years old – to reach the historic milestone. pic.twitter.com/aFfN2ay6h
— Flashscore.com (@Flashscorecom) October 13, 2024
Aiming for this target is significant for Ronaldo, who will hit 40 at the beginning of 2025 and has already accumulated 906 goals. He holds the record as Real Madrid’s all-time leading scorer, as well as the highest goal scorer in international duties for Portugal, with 215 appearances and 133 goals.