Former Real Madrid ace Antonio Cassano has revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo sent him a list of all the trophies he had won over his career after the Portuguese talisman felt ‘disrespected’ for not being on the Italian’s list of the top 10 footballers of all time.
Cassano, now 42 years of age, has become notorious for his highly critical opinions of Ronaldo and has seemingly undermined the striker’s plethora of achievements – both collectively and from an individual perspective – on a number of occasions over the years.
Suggesting that Lionel Messi, Pele, Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff and R9 are all ahead of the Al-Nassr centre forward, Cassano has also labelled him as ‘selfish’ after Ronaldo’s Juventus lost 2-1 to Porto in the Champions League in 2021.
Cassano: ‘I received a text from a +34 number. It was him.’
Unquestionably one of the greatest footballers to ever live, Ronaldo holds himself in high regard, as we have in recent times. That is a testament to his brilliance, of course, but it doesn’t mean he’s immune to criticism from, most notably, pundits and former professionals.
On the BSMT podcast recently, Cassano suggested that he had a text come through on his phone, supposedly from Ronaldo himself, with a long list of his football-wide achievements after being snubbed from the former striker’s top 10 list. Translated into English, the ex-Roma and AC Milan forward said:
“After I said Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t in my top 10, I received a text from a +34 number. It was him, listing all the trophies he’s won. He added a voice message saying I disrespected him.”
Former, 39-cap Italy international Cassana turned out for Los Blancos in a two-year period between 2006 and 2008. In that time, he managed to rack up just 29 appearances, four goals and a trio of assists, whereas the story of Ronaldo is a much more fruitful one.
A true Real Madrid legend, the Madeira-born ace recorded an eye-catching 450 goals for the club, alongside a further 131 assists, across his 438-game stay, cementing himself in the club’s folklore for life.
This is not the first time that Cassano has insisted that Ronaldo has been in touch to discuss the former’s damning comments – in 2021, Cassano said on Christian Vieri’s Twitch channel, per Scottish publication Daily Record: “Ronaldo wrote me messages! Cristiano Ronaldo, telling me that I need to have respect for him because of the trophies he’s won and the goals he’s scored.”
Ronaldo – Club Career Statistics | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Club | Games | Goals | Assists | Yellow/Red Cards |
Real Madrid | 438 | 450 | 131 | 54/6 |
Manchester Utd | 346 | 145 | 64 | 50/4 |
Juventus | 134 | 101 | 22 | 13/1 |
Al-Nassr | 73 | 66 | 18 | 9/1 |
Sporting CP | 31 | 5 | 6 | 1/0 |
Ronaldo Eyes 1,000-Goal Mark
Currently boasts 905 goals for club and country
Since the infancy of his career at Sporting CP and Manchester United, smashing records out of the park has become a regular occurrence for the 39-year-old, who remains widely considered to be one of the best free-kick takers in world football.
One of the records he has in his sights is the 1,000-goal mark. Speaking to former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel, the 212-cap Portugal international estimated he could hit the historic landmark at the ripe age of 41.
“I want to reach 1,000 goals. If I don’t have any injuries, this for me is the most important [thing], I want that. For me, the best mark that I can have in football is to reach, first, 900 goals. After, my challenge is to be at 1,000 goals.”
At the time of writing, the footballing superstar has 905 goals for club and country, but with him showing no signs of slowing down – there is every chance that he could become the first ever footballer to do so.
All statistics per Transfermarkt – correct as of 10/10/24