“Now it’s time to retire” – When ex-Real Madrid forward sent career advice to Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid (Credit: Getty Images)

The 2022-23 season wasn’t the best for Cristiano Ronaldo. After a great 2021-22 season at Manchester United, where he guided the team to important victories, be it in the Premier League or the Champions League, the forward was struggling both in his personal and professional life.

To be more precise, Ronaldo, who had won five Ballon d’Or titles, was looking for a move away from Old Trafford. He was reportedly linked with clubs in Spain, Germany and Saudi Arabia. But eventually he wasn’t able to secure a good deal for himself and ultimately stayed at the club.

Staying at Manchester United didn’t help either as he couldn’t be an integral part of Erik ten Hag’s pre-season and struggled to get a place in the starting line-up. It was at this juncture that former Real Madrid forward Antonio Cassano suggested that Cristiano Ronaldo should call it a day from the sport.

“At this point, Cristiano should love himself, do himself a favor and understand that, if he cannot reach a level, he must end his career. He has won everything, he has been a phenomenon. Now it’s time to retire.”

He further made a comparison with other legends of the sport:

“I have a lot of respect for CR7, but I don’t like him as a player. [Lionel] Messi is like [Diego] Maradona. He had to leave Argentina at the age of 14 and face serious physical problems, which speaks of sacrifices.”

What did Cassano recently say about Cristiano Ronaldo?

Former Italy international Antonio Cassano has been vocal in lashing out against Cristiano Ronaldo numerous times. Recently, when he appeared in a podcast for Viva El Football, he took a dig at the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, stating that he didn’t know how to play football.

He also compared Ronaldo with the likes of Luis Suarez, Karim Benzema, Robert Lewandowski, Sergio Aguero, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The 42-year-old opined that these forwards knew how to do a lot of things, whereas Ronaldo’s solitary objective was always to score.

This wasn’t the first time Cassano was critical of the Portuguese star. He even claimed Ronaldo to be a selfish footballer back in 2021. Meanwhile, amidst the statements, Ronaldo’s sister Elma Aveiro hit back at Cassano on Instagram, saying that he doesn’t know how to score 900 goals and perhaps he was a ball boy.