Ronaldo bottles big games

Posted Thursday, June 30, 2011 by UK.eurosport.yahoo.com

Real Madrid legend Guti has come out and said that Cristiano Ronaldo 'isn't up to it' when it comes to the big games.

Guti was a team-mate of Ronaldo's during the Portuguese star's first season in Spain but now plays in Turkey for Besiktas.

He said that while he admired Ronaldo as a player, his failure to produce on the biggest stage means he is not in the same class as Barcelona's Lionel Messi.

"Cristiano is a great player. He's decisive in many games, but in the big games he isn't up to the task, unlike Messi, who has shown he is," Guti told Spanish TV.

"The very best players are the ones who work in the highest-level matches."

Guti came through the Real Madrid youth system with the likes of Raul and Iker Casillas and played nearly 400 Liga matches for Madrid.

The 34-year-old said that his old club needs to go back to developing home grown stars if they are to keep up with Barcelona.

"We haven't taken care of the young players, we have spent more money on signings than on forming new players," he said.

"The biggest sadness for me is to see just Casillas in the team."

"Madrid have some way to go to get to Barcelona's level. If they play an open game against Barca, it's very difficult for them to win."