Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo is widely considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time, having won five Ballon d’Or awards. However, a former Real Madrid manager has insisted that the 41-year-old is not as good as Lionel Messi.
Cristiano Ronaldo Receives Harsh Verdict From Italian Legend
Speaking on ON Sport’s “Hat-Trick” program, ex-AC Milan, Juventus, and AS Roma manager Fabio Capello stated that Ronaldo should not be deemed better than Messi. He also named two other soccer legends who were better than the Portuguese attacker.
“Cristiano is a great goalscorer and an incredible athlete, but he doesn’t have the genius of Messi, (Diego) Maradona, or Ronaldo Nazario. That genius the others possessed is absent in Cristiano. He can’t be compared to those three.”
Despite turning 41 earlier in February, Ronaldo is still defying odds in terms of goalscoring. He has found the back of the net an impressive 18 times in 22 matches in all competitions for Al-Nassr in the ongoing 2025-26 season, providing three assists.
The Real Madrid and Manchester United legend has also made a name for himself by lifting numerous trophies over the years, including five UEFA Champions League titles. However, he has yet to win a FIFA World Cup like the three aforementioned players.
Meanwhile, the one-time UEFA European Championship winner is on strike at Al-Nassr due to unhappiness over a lack of funding from his team’s owners, the Public Investment Fund (PIF). He has reportedly threatened to leave his club if his demands are not met.
As a result, he has recently been linked with a potential move to Major League Soccer (MLS), where Messi has been shining for over 2 years now. But, reputed reporter Fabrizio Romano has recently quelled aforementioned speculations.
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“I can tell you that Cristiano remains upset with the situation. Let’s not overreact. Cristiano to MLS, Cristiano breaking his contract, and this kind of stuff… for now, let’s not overreact. I’m not here to speak for Cristiano… I am not one to speak for him. There will be Cristiano clarifying. There will be people close to Cristiano clarifying,” he clarified.
“There will be Al-Nassr also clarifying. So, it’s not my duty to come here and tell you what’s going on, but it’s my duty to tell you what I’m hearing. And my information is that Cristiano is not happy with the current (Al-Nassr) situation, and with what happened in this transfer window,” the Italian transfer expert concluded.
Ronaldo, who has missed three Al-Nassr outings in a row since announcing his boycott, has a contract until June 2027 at his current club. Should he decide to leave them this summer, he would be available for around $59 million, his current release clause.
