Ex-Real Madrid star claims Cristiano Ronaldo sent him message of all his accolades after he was snubbed from top 10 list
Former Real Madrid forward Antonio Cassano has divulged details of the interaction he had with Cristiano Ronaldo after he excluded the Portuguese from his Top 10 greatest players of all time lost. Cassano claimed that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner sent him a message and a voice note highlighting his achievements.
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most decorated footballers of all time, having won the Champions League five times and is the only player to have scored more than 900 official goals in football. He has also won the Ballon d'Or five times and is widely considered one of the greatest to have played the sport.
Cassano, however, ignored the 39-year-old Al-Nassr captain in his list of the top 10, which featured Ronaldo Nazario at the top spot. His list also included Cristiano Ronaldo's arch-rival Lionel Messi and other greats such as Pele and Diego Maradona.
The Portuguese legend apparently did not like Cassano's choices and voiced his frustration to the former Los Blancos forward. The 42-year-old talked about the interaction on the BSMT Podcast.
"I said Ronaldo is No1, the Brazilian. Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t make my top five, or even top ten, because for me the quality of a player is another thing," he said (via GOAL).
"Next thing, I finish the work I was doing and I get a text message from a +34 number, that’s Spain. It’s a list of all the trophies, goals and statistics," Cassano claimed.
Cristiano wasn't done with just the list of his honours. He went one step further by sending a voice note where he questioned Cassano's achievements.
"Then he sends me a voice note, telling me, ‘You disrespected me, don’t do anything like that again. You only scored 150 goals, you only won four trophies.’ Perfect," the Italian said.
Cassano, however, told the former Real Madrid and Manchester United attacker that he just doesn't like him as a player.
"So I answer him. I say, ‘Dear Cristiano, listen to me. You think I disrespected you, I just don’t like you as a player. What’s the problem?’" Cassano explained.
The Italian expressed his shock at Cristiano Ronaldo's pettiness of messaging him and questioning him about his personal list of the greats of the sport.
Cristiano Ronaldo pens tribute to Real Madrid superfan Rafael Nadal on his retirement announcement
Rafael Nadal announced his retirement from tennis on Thursday, October 10, through a post on his Instagram account. The Spaniard is a huge fan of Real Madrid and has been spotted at the Santiago Bernabeu on multiple occasions.
Nadal posted on his Instagram account:
Former Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the first to react to Nadal's post by sharing a tribute to the tennis great. He wrote in the comments:
"Rafa, what an incredible career you've had! Your dedication, passion and incredible talent have inspired millions around the world. It has been an honour to witness your journey and be able to call you a friend. Congratulations on an amazing career! Enjoy your retirement."
Nadal had joined Real Madrid's youth set-up as a kid. He had stated earlier that he had an option to pick either football or tennis, but ended up choosing the latter.
The decision seems to have been vindicated as Nadal is considered among the greatest tennis players of all time. The Spaniard will hang up his boots after winning 22 Grand Slam titles, including winning the French Open a record 14 times.