Former Italy international Antonio Cassano has taken advantage of the difficult times Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo has been going through since the start of the current 2022-2023 season to criticize him.
And press reports have confirmed that Ronaldo filed a formal plea to leave Manchester United last summer after the Red Devils failed to qualify for the Champions League and the Madeira Rocket missed their pre-season training period, which affected by his level.
Ronaldo has not been included in Manchester United’s starting XI this season, and he recently crashed out of the European Nations League competition with Portugal in the first round and scored one goal from a penalty in the Europa League so far.
Cassano, who used to lash out at the historic football scorer, sent the 37-year-old legend a message highlighted by the Spanish newspaper AS, in which he said: “I have a lot of respect for him, but as a footballer I don’t like him.”
???????? ???????????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????????????????? | El contundente mensaje de Antonio Cassano para los que Dicen que Lionel Messi es pure talent no sacrifice + trabajo duro como Cristiano Ronaldo. https://t.co/3ILZeRxLoQ
— Invictos (@InvictosSomos) September 28, 2022
He added: “I advise him to start thinking about leaving from now on, he should love himself and go away for a year in all different games.”
The Italian stressed: “I see that Ronaldo can no longer face challenges. He won everything and has already become a phenomenon. He made a lot of money but is no longer a key player in his team.”
And about the Argentine legend Lionel Messi, the historical and eternal rival of Ronaldo, Cassano said: “Leo is like Maradona if we want to talk about the victims, for example.”
Cassano, 40, concluded his speech: “Messi is an example of a football player who has sacrificed a lot. He left Argentina at an early age, overcame many physical problems and spent about 4 years alone in Barcelona.”
Source: agencies