Cristiano Ronaldo or Zinedine Zidane? Real Madrid icon Iker Casillas names greatest Los Blancos player of all time
Iker Casillas has picked Cristiano Ronaldo as the greatest Real Madrid player of all time. He believes the Portuguese superstar was better than Zinedine Zidane was for Los Blancos.
In a video with 90Min, Casillas picked Sergio Ramos over the likes of Roberto Carlos, Xabi Alonso, Kaká, Luka Modric, Raúl, and Luís Figo before choosing Zidane. However, when asked to pick between the French legend and Ronaldo, the legendary goalkeeper went for the former Manchester United star.
Interviewer: "Zidane or Cristiano?"
Casillas (after a pause): "Cristiano."
Casillas had previously hit out at Real Madrid fans for booing Ronaldo in a 2017 LaLiga game against Real Sociedad for a seemingly subpar performance, and claimed it was beyond acceptable. He believed that the world's best player deserved to be treated better and had told Onda Cero via GOAL:
"These things happen in stages, Cristiano sells a lot, and demands a lot of himself. Along with Lionel Messi he is the best in the world. He has this responsibility. As a Madridista, sometimes you don't understand why it can happen. Six months ago Madrid were European champions, one month ago they were world champions."
"He has just won the trophy as the world's best player. Last year I remember a difficult moment before [Rafa] Benitez left. Then at the end of the season they were in the clouds with the Champions League. If he scores two or three goals a game, that is just what he is supposed to do. It is madness. You must help him - have people around him and the club who help to protect the players. He must continue trying to be the player he is, the best in the world," he added.
Iker Casillas and Cristiano Ronaldo played 228 matches together for Real Madrid.
Real Madrid legend on Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi
Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas had already spoken about the Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi debate before. He claimed the difference between the two was that the Argentine was born with talent, while the Portuguese ace worked hard.
Casillas said the two are phenomenal players in an interview with ESPN:
"Cristiano always had huge desire to be the best, every since he was a boy and I believe he has achieved that. If I have to compare him to Messi, what Cristiano has done is more impressive because we all know the talent Messi has, but Cristiano was determined and worked hard to be the best. I feel we have been lucky to have been able to enjoy two phenomenal players. For people that don't know Cristiano, he can appear to be cocky and arrogant, but it's totally the opposite."
While Iker Casillas has retired from football, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo continue to play. The Argentine is with Inter Miami in MLS, while the Portuguese plays for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.