Cassano Urges Ronaldo To Start Considering Retirement
Former Italy international Antonio Cassano has urged Cristiano Ronaldo to retire from football following his recent struggles in front of goal.
Ronaldo's only goal for Manchester United this season came from the penalty spot in a 2-0 win over Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League.
The 37-year-old has started only one game in the Premier League this season after missing much of pre-season for family reasons.
Ronaldo took his struggles to the Portugal camp during the recent international break and was guilty of missing good chances in a 1-0 defeat to Spain which cost the Selecao a place in next year's Nations League finals.
After scoring 24 goals across all competitions for the Red Devils last season, Ronaldo unsuccessfully tried to agitate for a move to a Champions League club after Manchester United could only finish sixth in the league.
Having now lost his position at Old Trafford, Cassano believes Ronaldo risks becoming a regular substitute if he does not hang his boots.
The former Real Madrid and Italy forward has told the Muschio Selvaggio podcast: “At this point, Cristiano should love himself, do himself a favour 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.
“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.”
