Cassano: 'Allegri perfect for Ronaldo'

By Football Italia staff

Antonio Cassano believes Max Allegri is “the perfect Coach for Cristiano Ronaldo and he can score 30-40 goals per season” at Juventus.

The arrival of the Ballon d’Or winner from Real Madrid sent shockwaves through world football, not so much for the €100m fee, but the fact he was leaving the three-times in a row Champions League winners at all.

Vanity Fair put Ronaldo on their front cover and released snippets of an interview with Cassano about CR7.

“He has these gifts from Mother Nature, but above all his mentality, the consistency of his training, his professionalism – all the things I hated,” confessed FantAntonio.

“I admire him a great deal for his ability to always be focused. He’ll remain in history forever as one of the greats and he deserved this success, because he earned it through talent, but above all through hard work.

“I was fortunate enough to play for Real Madrid when it was the team of the Galacticos. I know how it works there. Real is bigger than any one champion, even one who scored 450 goals, so I’m not surprised the sold him. They did without David Beckham, Ronaldo and Raul, so they can survive without him.

“It was a great deal for all concerned, from (Juventus President) Andrea Agnelli to those who sell sandwiches at the Juventus Stadium.

“Cristiano will have a wonderful new experience, Juve will pay him a rich salary, but are still happy because €100m for a player like that is a bargain.

“He is 33 years old according to his birth certificate, but he looks after his physique so carefully it’s almost maniacal. With the level of this Serie A, he can score 30-40 goals per season for a long while yet.

“I worked with Max Allegri and he’s a real phenomenon. I think some still underestimate him. Allegri’s greatest quality is intelligence. He leaves room for players to create, especially the most talented ones. He is the best possible Coach for Ronaldo.

“Juventus won seven Serie A titles in a row, so the question now is: how many can they rack up? This year they may as well hand over the Scudetto trophy before the season begins.”

Ronaldo said the moment he scored a bicycle kick in Turin and the crowd gave him a standing ovation remained in his heart.

“The Juve fans were fabulous that night. As rivals, in such an important game, it wasn’t easy to applaud, but it proved beauty comes before everything. Those who applauded understood.”

Cassano praises Ronaldo, yet named his son Lionel in honour of Messi.

“I love Messi not as a counter-point to Cristiano, but because in my view he’s the best of all time and the emotions he gives me are unique.

“If I have to rationalise it or convince you, I ask you to find me someone else who handles the ball and scores so consistently as Messi.

“Cristiano lacks nothing, let’s be clear, but that’s not the point. I love tennis. Now, Cristiano is like Nadal, a fantastic athlete built on talent, but also hard work and desire.

“Messi is more like Federer. He is pure artistry and class. They are different, and you can prefer one to the other. I am with Messi, as he can make the difference even when standing still, he almost doesn’t need physical fitness.”

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