Antonio Cassano has slammed Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo, claiming that he is selfish and has no interest in helping his team-mates.
Cassano was known for his controversy on the field, falling out with more managers than he worked under, and causing a nuisance to those around him, while his football on the pitch still gifted him a large fan base.
I for one was always a fan of his ability, and his antics off the field were frustrating as I believe he hampered his own career with his temperament, and now his comments in retirement will not go down well either.
Cassano was speaking with Christian Vieri after Juve’s 2-1 loss to Porto, and speaking negatively about Cristiano Ronaldo, claiming that he is selfish, and not buying into the ideas of Andrea Pirlo.
“I have always said, even though he is a phenomenon and has scored a billion goals, that with Andrea Pirlo’s idea of football he could run into difficulties,” Cassano said on Christian Vieri’s Twitch channel BoboTV.
“He scores a goal per game, it’s true, but he struggles with Andrea’s idea. He’s always been a bit selfish, he doesn’t give a damn about others scoring goals.
“He’s the kind of player that lives to score, not for the game, for the great match. He lives to score and in this moment the situation is getting worse. The years pass for everyone and he is having difficulties.
“The paradox is that Juventus have bought a player who has won five Champions Leagues but has so many difficulties in the Champions League.
“This is because, since Sarri, Juventus are trying to show a style that is different to its history. It’s clear that Pirlo must be judged in four or five years, but Juventus want everything immediately.”
I can’t say I agree with Cassano’s points at all, especially his claim that Ronaldo is having ‘difficulties’ in Europe at present. His performance against Barcelona alone in helping us to a 3-0 win to top the group was a spectacle, and one that shouldn’t be discounted.
Do any Juve fans believe Ronaldo isn’t buying into Pirlo’s ideals? Does anyone believe he is selfish and detrimental to the team?
Patrick
Cassino is spot on. Ronaldo is selfish, he has to be in order to have become the greatest goal scorer the world has seen. Whether or not he is buying into Pirlo’s system is subjective. I don’t think we have seen or learned what his system truly is. My biggest problem with Ronaldo is that he has created a situation where nobody is growing as players or a team. If he is shut down, there is no alternative other than everyone relying on their own physical gifts to create something. He is a huge square peg, trying to fit into a round hole. Ronaldo needs a team built around him, not a system. Unfortunately this Juve team does not have the players to make that happen. They do however, have most of the players needed to create a system that can win when he is eventually gone. Bravo Cassano for stating what no one wants to say in deference to Ronaldo’s greatness.
Yes, we do believe that Ronaldo on the field has helped make Juve a worse team, than it use to be
The evidence is practically self evident
Before the summer of 2018, Juve was a formidable team = 4 straight doubles + 2 UCL finals, always scoring well past a 100 goals a season.
Then came Ronaldo, and suddenly the midfield was inept, the team performef clearly worse, as a team (all because of a summer holiday in 2018?) but Ronaldo what a player…
Yes he had qualities but let’s face it, since he arrived, there has been no doubles & in the UCL we are going out to teams like Ajax & Lyon (and now possibly Porto)
Oh and yeah, we no longer score (as a team) even a 100 goals a season
Ronalso doesn’t carry a team, he’s expensive, and sporting wise, is part of why Juve suddenly (what a summer holiday in 2018…) is a much worse team.
I really have to laugh at these comments, without Ronaldo where would Juventus be. The real failure was not making a deal for a good mid field and strike partner. (Till now Morata is good). Pjanic was so good he is warming the Barca bench and Melo is not up to the task. Yet Ronaldo scores a goal a game and he is to blame. He beats Barca and he scores 3 goals against Atletico to save Juventus in champions and I read se has done nothing in Champions. He needs a team built around him and if that does not happen he will leave. Look at Madrid now they are still regretting there decision to sell him. United never recovered only 1 good year after he left. Selfish are the players who don’t pass him the ball open your eyes and you will see who they are. Dybala is crap and so is Bernadesci. The numbers don’t lie 5 champions top goal scorer, major titles for 3 different clubs and putting Portugal on his back to win the euro. Casano should stick to golf or fishing during retirement. Juve will beat Porto but after that they will need lots of luck they don’t have a good midfield or tactics to compete at an elite level.
Juve team is very dismal. With the exception of Ronaldo, the team is full of players that won’t start on almost any of the top ten teams in the world. Juve need to stop getting players on free transfer and spend on better quality. Buying Ronaldo should have been a plus if they’d tried to acquire the quality he needs around him. If it hasn’t been for Ronaldo’s adaptability and impressive scoring for the team, Juve would have been mid-table. Selfish! 99% of great goal scorers are. But Ronaldo has also assisted over 200 times in his career. Name all the great midfielders/strikers with that amount of assists besides Messi! None! So hate his shenanigans sometimes but don’t ever try to belittle his contribution to juve or the game of football. ✌