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7 months ago
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AC Milan star Rafael Leao branded Antonio Cassano a clown on social media on Sunday after the former Italy striker questioned his ability and insisted he is not at the same level as Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden.
Cassano has never been shy of giving controversial opinions, and this time he turned his attention to Leao.
He argued in front of millions of viewers live on TV on the Italian show Domenica Sportiva that Leao is not a top player but an overrated one, despite the Portuguese winger scoring in Milan's 3-0 win against Lecce on Saturday.
'Leao thinks he is a genius and some even agree with him. I just consider him a good player and I have not changed my mind on that,' Cassano said.
'For five-and-a-half months he didn’t score in a poor league like Serie A. Years ago, he would’ve struggled to play in the sixth or seventh team in Serie A,' he added, as Cassano referred to Leao's struggles in front of goal earlier this season.
Former Italy striker Antonio Cassano (pictured) claimed Rafael Leao is just a 'normal player' in a live TV rant on Sunday
Leao (pictured), who is widely seen as one of Europe's best forwards, was unhappy with Cassano's comments
He responded to a video of Cassano's rant by posting seven clown emojis on social media
He went on to compare Leao unfavourably to several of his peers across Europe, including Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden, as he doubled down on his stance.
'If I go and see Rashford as a winger last year he scores more than 25 goals and plays in a wonderful championship,' Cassano continued.
'[Khvicha] Kvaratskhelia arrives and has a wonderful championship. Foden is a year younger and this year he has already scored 21 goals and 10 assists, they are top players.
'In Italy, the championship is not good and the problem is that he thinks he is a phenomenon and there is a lot of people who believe in it. He's a good player and has great physical strength, stop.
'So Kaká, Rui Costa, Vinicius? What are we talking about? We're talking about a normal player who has physical strength.'
Leao responded with seven clown emojis, in a clear message to Cassano that he disagreed with his comments.
The 24-year-old has previously been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Chelsea pushing for his signature back in 2022.
Cassano feels Leao is not at the same level as Man United's Marcus Rashford
Cassano also believes Phil Foden is clear of Leao when it comes to ranking Europe's best forwards
But he has been at Milan since 2019 and signed a contract extension last year to keep him at the club until 2028.
Leao has scored six goals and recorded nine assists in 27 Serie A appearances this term, leaving Milan second in Serie A, although they trail rivals Inter by 11 points having played a game more.
He found the net just once in the Champions League group stages, but has since shone in the Europa League by netting three times to guide the Rossoneri into the quarter-finals.
They will face fellow Serie A side Roma in the last eight on Thursday, with Leao set to get the chance to prove to Cassano that he can be a difference-maker on the big stage.
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