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Cristiano Ronaldo Told He Isn't 'Among The Top Five' Players Of All-Time

Cristiano Ronaldo Told He Isn't 'Among The Top Five' Players Of All-Time

Cristiano Ronaldo isn't in the GOAT conversation, according to Antonio Cassano.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Cristiano Ronaldo isn't in the top five players of all-time, according to former Real Madrid and AC Milan star Antonio Cassano.

Ronaldo recently became the highest-scoring international goalscorer of all-time, adding to an esteemed list of records the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has broken in his career.

The 36-year-old has been successful in three different leagues and is the record scorer in the Champions League, a competition he has won five times.

Ronaldo's agent and close friend Jorge Mendes has always bigged up his client's achievements, claiming the Portuguese superstar is "he best player in the history of football and with a big difference compared to the second".

But Cassano, who played 39 times for Italy, is not having it whatsoever.

The 39-year-old believes Ronaldo, despite scoring over 794 career goals, is not in the 'GOAT' conversation - putting Lionel Messi, Pele, Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff and Ronaldo Nazario ahead of him.

Image: PA
Image: PA

"Enough theatre," Cassano said on Christian Vieiri's 'BoboTV' Twitch channel, as per The Mirror.

"Is Cristiano Ronaldo the best in the history of football?

"He is not even in the top five.

"For me, [Lionel] Messi, Pele, [Diego] Maradona, [Johan] Cruyff and Ronaldo [Nazario] are on another level."

Cassano's former teammate Vieri interjected, revealing he would put Marco van Basten in instead of Cruyff.

Cassano has been highly critical of Ronaldo in recent years, stating that he was a "failure" at Juventus and is someone who "only thinks about himself".

In addition, he also controversially claimed that the Manchester United star cares more about his social media image than the team he plays for.

Image: PA
Image: PA

"Cristiano Ronaldo is a manufactured talent," Cassano said according to Spanish media outlet AS.

"You also notice it on social networks where you see him doing sit-ups with his children.

"There is a lot of talk about him, less about Messi. But in football they are two completely different things. CR7 is very strong, but he has a built talent.

"Messi, on the other hand, is Federer, Jordan, Maradona; something we will never see again in life, he has immense talent as a gift from nature."

Featured Image Credit: Image: PA

Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Pele, Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff, Ronaldo Nazario

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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