Some harsh accusations coming from legend: "He doesn't know how to shoot"

In his playing days, he was known as the mischievous boy of Italian football and was even labeled the biggest wasted talent in football history. But Antonio Cassano, although no longer on the pitch, continues to attract attention with his statements in various interviews and podcasts. He has previously taken aim at Dusan Vlahovic, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Jose Mourinho.

Now it’s Rafael Leao’s turn. On the podcast “Viva el futbol”, Cassano criticized the AC Milan winger, claiming he doesn’t even know how to strike the ball.

“When I look at that guy, he doesn’t know how to play with his back to goal. All he has is speed, and that’s his only quality. He can’t shoot with either foot. He imagines himself as Ronaldo Fenomeno, but it’s not his fault — it’s Milan’s for giving him an 8 milion euros annual salary. If they had given him one milion or 1.5 milion euros, I’d judge him like any other player,” Cassano said.

The former Italy international went even further, suggesting that some players from smaller clubs have had more influence and better statistics than Leao.

“If I compare the last five years of Leao at Milan with the last five years of Riccardo Orsolini at Bologna, then Riccardo should be earning 8 milion euros, and Leao not even 2 milion euros. I’m not crazy about Orsolini, but those are the facts. Look at the numbers. One plays for Bologna, the other for Milan.”

Here, Cassano arguably exaggerates. Leao has 57 goals and 54 assists in 187 appearances for the Rossoneri, while Orsolini has 45 goals and 15 assists in 138 games for Bologna. Yet Cassano remains relentless.

“He’ll have a few good games to respond to me, but I don’t care. The reality is that people keep excusing him because he’s young. He’s 26 — I went to Real Madrid at that age and then returned to Italy. Pippo Inzaghi didn’t have football knowledge, but the penalty area was his home. Leao neither scores enough goals nor provides enough assists.”