When Cristiano Ronaldo declared himself the greatest soccer player of all time, it sparked a heated debate among fans, pundits, and former players. Some agreed with the Portuguese superstar, while others pointed to names like Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Pelé, and Ronaldo Nazário. However, Antonio Cassano, known for his outspoken nature, went a step further and shared his own list of the top five forwards in history.
The former Italian international, who played for clubs like AC Milan, Real Madrid, and AS Roma, didn’t include Ronaldo in his lineup. Speaking with Christian Vieri on Twitch back in 2021, Cassano insisted that the five players he chose were “on another level” compared to the Portuguese star.
After addressing a statement made by Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, proclaiming him as “the best in history,” Cassano offered a blunt rebuttal. “Yeah, the best in history after Napoleon Bonaparte. Enough, Jorge Mendes. He’s not even in the top five: Messi, Pelé, Maradona, Cruyff, and Ronaldo ‘O Fenômeno are on another level,” Cassano stated.
Vieri chimed in with his own perspective during their conversation on Bobo TV, disagreeing with just one of Cassano’s picks: “I would swap Cruyff for Van Basten,” Vieri said. While opinions on the matter may vary among soccer legends, one thing remains unchanged: Cristiano Ronaldo continues to sit atop the all-time scoring charts.
Antonio Cassano celebrates after scoring a goal during a league match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Cassano’s harsh critique of Cristiano Ronaldo
Cassano hasn’t just excluded Ronaldo from his list of all-time greats; he’s been openly critical of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s style of play. In a 2024 interview on Viva el Futbol Official, Cassano claimed that Ronaldo lacks the ability to play team soccer and focuses solely on scoring goals.
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“Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t know how to play soccer. He can score 3,000 goals. Playing soccer means what Higuaín, Lewandowski, Benzema, Agüero, Ibra, Suárez have done,” Cassano explained. “They know how to play as a team, but Cristiano? What’s his objective? Goals, goals, goals”.
Cassano continued, reflecting on Ronaldo’s time at Real Madrid. “During his last three or four years at Madrid, CR7 was a center forward. Before that, he was always a left winger,” he added.
“Do you want to include him among these forwards?” he continued. “The ones I’ve mentioned—Higuaín, Agüero, Lewandowski, Benzema, Ibrahimović, and Luis Suárez—they all share one thing in common: they know how to play with their teammates”.
