'Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't know how to play football': Portuguese legend slammed by ex-Real Madrid forward

The former Italian forward has said that Cristiano Ronaldo's only objective in his career has been to score goals and not play as part of a team.

Former Italy and Real Madrid forward Antonio Cassano has slammed Portuguese great Cristiano Ronaldo. Cassano, who retired in 2017, said that Ronaldo can score as many goals as he wants but "doesn't know how to play football". Cassano played briefly for Real Madrid between 2006 and 2008, leaving a year before Ronaldo arrived at the club on a world-record transfer from Manchester United.

Cristiano Ronaldo recently went past 900 goals for club and country (AFP)

Ronaldo went on to become the club's highest-ever goalscorer, netting a whopping 450 goals in just 458 appearances across nine seasons in the Spanish capital. The 39-year-old recently scored his 900th goal for club and country. "Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't know how to play football," Cassano said on Viva El Futbol podcast.

Cassano said that he puts the likes of Sergio Aguero, Robert Lewandowski, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Luis Suarez and Ronaldo's former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema above him because they are better at linking up with teammates.

"He could score 3000 goals, I don't give a f**k. [Gonzalo] Higuain, [Sergio] Aguero, [Karim] Benzema, [Robert] Lewandowski, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic and [Luis] Suarez knew how to link-up with the team. They knew how to do a lot of things, unlike Ronaldo whose only objective has always been to score," he said.

Ronaldo helps Al-Nassr make good start under new manager

In the second half, Salem Al-Najdi and Anderson Talisca added to the scoreline. The defeat was the first this season for Ettifaq but the team coached by Steven Gerrard stayed third. Al-Nassr moved to fourth.