The ideal life of Antonio Cassano: food, sex, football

Antonio Cassano was once considered the most gifted footballer in the world. By the middle of his career, he failed to realize his talent, but it seems that he took up his mind in time.

Cassano was born in the city of Bari, and the club of the same name brought him up and gave way to big football. Or rather, Antonio punched it himself. The player's parents told how Antonio could be seen in the courtyard of the house in the company of a soccer ball in the late evenings after training.

In Serie A, Cassano made his debut at the age of 17 in a match against Lecce. And the striker scored his first goal a week after his debut, against Inter, and how he scored ... Picking up the ball in the center of the field, on the way to the goal, he effectively beat the defenders Laurent Blanc and Christian Panucci and scored a historic goal for his team. Bari won that match. Then Cassano still managed to score against Roma. It is unlikely that he suspected that he was scoring for his future club.

In 48 matches for Bari, Cassano scored only 6 goals and, it is worth noting, did not always show great football. The Italian, like many young people, lacked stability. But at the same time, the episodes when Antonio demonstrated his football were enough for the breeders of the Italian superclubs to see the potential in the player, which, however, was visible to the naked eye. The football god really endowed Cassano with an extraordinary talent. In the Apennines, the forward predicted the future of Roberto Baggio himself. And some experts believed that Antonio would surpass him.

It is clear that the transition of Cassano to a big club became a matter of time. In 2001, Antonio signed a contract with Roma. The transfer cost the Romans no less than 28 million euros. I don't presume to judge, but for a 19-year-old boy, whose main achievement is six goals in Serie A, this is a lot of money. This is exactly what the Juventus bosses thought, who at the last moment abandoned the deal. It was said that Sir Alex Ferguson really wanted to see Cassano at Manchester United. But in the end, Antonio ended up in Rome. Fabio Capello really wanted this guy, whom Cassano would later call a second father and a nonentity.

In Roma, 19-year-old Cassano became something of a son of a regiment. The whole team received him very warmly and even fell in love. Antonio became close friends with Francesco Totti. The senior comrade took Cassano to elite parties and in every possible way devoted the young player to the intricacies of the evening life of Rome. The kid (as the player was nicknamed in Bari for his youth and short stature) was really very fond of Capello, and earning the love of the cold-blooded Don Fabio is worth a lot. Cassano won the love of the Wolves fans as well.

In general, in Rome, the young forward did not experience problems with adaptation. In training, Cassano joked a lot. He was good at it. At Roma, Antonio became the soul of the team. True, in the game plan it was not so simple. In the first season of his stay in Rome, Cassano faced a new and hitherto unfamiliar problem - competition. Gabriel Batistuta, Vincenzo Montella, Marco Delvecchio and Francesco Totti. All of them were stronger than the talented striker, and therefore they played. One way or another, Capello said that Cassano still had everything ahead and that he needed to work on himself as much as possible.

In 2003, Roma left the idol of the Roman fans, Gabriel Batistuta, and left his 18th number to his successor, Cassano. Antonio began to play in the first team and scored 14 goals at the end of the championship, and Roma took second place in Serie A. And what they did on the field together with Totti is beyond words. They understood each other at the genetic level. Two masters, what can I say. Two players who knew what to do with the ball. Their bunch was considered one of the most dangerous in Italian football. Despite the fact that Totti and Cassano are far from being the fastest players on the planet. Yes, they did not try to run away from anyone, they tore everyone apart with a pass.

Cassano grew and became more and more of a figure in Roma. From a young and cheerful boy, Antonio turned into a star. And that was the worst thing for a footballer. And not only for him. Capello, Totti and everyone, everything, everyone suffered from Kassan's "starfish" ...

Antonio immediately deteriorated relations with Francesco Totti and with many other teammates, not to mention the head coach. Cassano immediately began to slip phrases like: “I will think about the Golden Ball in two years. Although no, two is probably too long”?! Many football players have star disease, and this is not surprising. But Cassano had this disease in the last stage: "Totti prevents me from playing football," said Antonio. "His time has passed, but he continues to pull the blanket over himself and interfere with the team."

In 2003, after making his debut in the national team, Cassano was completely blown away. It is not clear who he thought he was, but he decided that he had the right to ignore the team's training and openly send the great Fabio Capello far and for a long time. And when in 2005 the club was headed by Luciano Spalletti, the striker told him: "Here you are not Udinese, this is my house, not yours."

To become for Roma what Totti became for her, Antonio failed. In 2006, the leadership of the Romans got rid of a talented but unbearable player. Cassano moved to Real Madrid. And the main initiator of the transfer was, who do you think? Well, of course, Fabio Capello, who at that time coached the “creamy”. Despite quarrels and mutual insults, Capello understood that Cassano was a rare talent, which at the age of 24 had not yet been completely ruined.

However, Cassano again faced competition at Real Madrid. The Italian had to fight for a place in the squad with Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy. And here, unlike Roma, Capello, without harm to the overall result, could replace the insolent striker. That is why Antonio did not actually play at Real Madrid. “Capello made me and Ronaldo warm up for the whole half, but he didn’t let him on the field,” the player recalls.

In general, the story with Real ended, almost without starting. In 2007, the bosses of the "Royal Club" sent the spoiled Italian on loan to his homeland, to Sampdoria. The club was so pleased with the striker that the management decided to completely buy out the transfer of the Kid. Antonio still performs in Sampdoria today. There he is the undisputed leader of the team, its soul and the idol of the fans.

It is worth noting that, moving to Genoa, Cassano agreed to a significant reduction in salary compared to Roma and Real Madrid. "I lived 17 years penniless and then nine years as a millionaire," Cassano now says, "well, I have eight more years to even out." It seems that Antonio seriously took up his mind.

“Three years ago I told myself that it was time to take up the profession of a football player seriously, otherwise return to Bari and become a salami seller,” Cassano most recently said. “Life in Genoa has changed me. In Sampdoria, an atmosphere was created that allowed me to grow "I thought about being the best on the field without thinking about the interests of the team. But in the history of football there was only one player who could win matches alone and that was Maradona. I learned to think with the team."

This guy had everything to become a brilliant football player. But Antonio wasted years of his career on conflicts with coaches, partners, and other non-football nonsense. However, Cassano is only 28 years old, and it seems that much is still ahead. For example, the new Italian coach Cesare Prandelli in the person of Cassano sees a new leader. The one who for the national team in different years were Roberto Baggio and Francesco Totti.

- Do you feel happy again in Sampdoria?

"There are three teams in my heart. First of all, this is Sampdoria. Then Inter, because I've been a fan of them since childhood, and Parma, even though we parted. I forgot the rest! In Real Madrid, I played three or four times! (laughs) Of course, it was my fault - the strongest players in the history of football played for that team: Ronaldo, Zidane, Raul ... ".

- How did you know that Real Madrid wanted to buy you?

"Then I had problems at Roma Luciano Spalletti and the agent called, Ernesto Bronzetti. 'Antonio, do you want to play for the biggest club in the world?' I didn’t even believe it, I sent him to hell. And he came to my house and gave me a phone - Florentino Perez was on the other end. "

"I couldn't say no to Madrid. Many would pay money to play there. It's Real Galacticos! Zidane, Raul, Figo, Beckham, Guti, Roberto Carlos, Casillas..."

- And why didn't you succeed?

"It was either me or Robinho. I started well, I scored, but when you get to Madrid you have two options: spend time with your family or fool around."

- And what did you choose?

"Second, of course. He behaved like a fool, but he did it one hundred percent."

- Do you regret that you missed the opportunity?

"Yeah, but it happens. I didn't know where I was. Only a fool could act like that, given the chance to play at Real Madrid."

- With whom did you interact best on the field?

"I always tell my friends about it. I played with two of the five strongest players in history: Zizou and Roni, Phenomenon. But I'm sure Guti could be great if he was a professional."

- Many people think so.

"Guti was an incredibly strong player. Fantastic! From another planet! He could play in the center of the field, under the striker, on the flank ...".

- So what's the problem?

"And what a great guy! Everyone loved him, but one day he trained well, and the next he didn't. He could disappear somewhere, and no one knew where he was."

- Just like you.

"Yes, but I behaved much worse, was just a disaster. Guti at least played for Real for 15 years ...".

- What can you say about Zidane?

"I take my hat off to him. A great footballer, a great man. How he trained! Zizou did not speak much, but listen, in a year and a half I heard him address the team three times - everyone listened to him and did not dare to object. Real Madrid had two leaders "Zidane and Raul, very different. Raul spoke as captain and Zizou intervened when necessary."

Do you think he will be a good coach?

“Yes, I think it will be a top-class specialist. If Zizou says something, then everyone listens to him. Few people have such charisma, he immediately wants to trust. turn. I doubt that someone will dare to argue with him. "

- Who was the sex symbol of Real Madrid: you or Beckham?

“I am! Beckham is an ideal, but also a good person (laughs). Moreover, he had a wife. All the girls wanted to meet him, but it was impossible, because David is a prime minister family man, he already had a son. When I came to Madrid, I had a girlfriend, but a month later ... ".

- Food, sex, football. Is there anything else important in life?

"Perfectly said! It's the best there is. At least it was until February 2, 2008. And then I met my wife."

- Could you call yourself a sexaholic?

“Perhaps so. When you are 20 years old, you like girls, then you want to have sex all the time. And I had such an opportunity - I played for Real Madrid! If I were doing something else, no one would have bothered me looked... Even my own mother! (laughs) I'm a good guy, but not handsome.

Did a night of good sex help you play the next day?

"If it's a period at Real Madrid, then no. I didn't play because I had ten extra kilos. It's simple. But in Roma it's different."

- Can you tell a story?

"There is a great story. On the eve of the 4-0 victory over Juventus, I stole the keys to Trigoria and returned at six in the morning. It was my best match! I took a penalty and scored two goals."

- What about the food? Do you have an addiction too?

"Yes, even now. As my friend says, you only get fat when you eat something good."

- You have to pay for this pleasure ...

"Pasta, bread, sweets, prosciutto ... I'm happy. Of course, eating it all every day and in large quantities is crazy. But I've been crazy for twenty years. Now I can't do it anymore."

- How much did you weigh when you came to Real?

"93 kg!. And my ideal weight is 83 kg. But, so you understand, at the start of this season I weighed 95 ...".

- How much now?

"83. But it's hard for me to lose weight. I can put on seven or eight kilos in a month. And last spring I spent a week in the mountains with my father and gained ten kilos!"

- They say that in Spain you had big problems with food.

"I had a friend who brought me food home, I gave him 200-500 euros for it. It's a pity that it didn't work when we played away (laughs)."

- Did you take girls to hotels?

"Of course. I remember we had a US tour and it was the same thing. They saw the Real Madrid tracksuit and..."

- Why did Capello fine you?

"Everyone says that because I portrayed him, I was grimacing, but this is not so. I quarreled with him in Jerez. We won 3-1, and he sent me to warm up for 45 minutes. Me and Ronaldo. I was "I was mad, we almost fought. But he was right, he squeezed the most out of me. At Roma, under Fabio, I scored 23 goals. Why? He was like a hammer that hung over me."

- Do you feel comfortable in the role of a rebel?

"I was a real misfortune until the age of 16. And I could not change, becoming a professional football player. Well, so be it ...".

- How did the fact that you were born in the South, in Bari, affect your game?

“You know, the guys from the South are mostly such a kind of “sons of bitches”. In the sense that they are broken, cunning. All I could do there was play football. In my environment, no one wanted to work or go to school. Just play."

- And where did you start?

"In the market of his city. It was closing, and we played. All day long. From two to nine in the evening, ten or even eleven."

- You seem to be having a good time.

"Everyone should be as lucky as me... I made my debut against Inter, scored fast. It defined my life."

- And if you hadn't scored then?

"No one knows how it would have turned out. Some of my friends went to jail. But ...".

"My character gave me a lot of problems. At Roma, at Real Madrid."

Was it difficult for you to take responsibility?

"When I was young, I didn't think when I did anything. I'm a street guy, I'm strong and independent. I thought football was like the street, but it wasn't."

- But you understood it.

"Of course, but with age. But when I was 22-23 years old ... Life changes when you have children."

- Speaking of changes. How did you deal with heart problems?

"Honestly, I did not believe in God then. But when I recovered, I realized that someone from above helped me. I used to blaspheme a lot, but now try to do it in my presence."

- What did you think when the diagnosis became known?

"I asked God. "If you are, then let me see my son again. That's why I can leave.' That's why I say there's someone in heaven who heard me.

FOOTBALL

Before EURO-2012 - 7 days . Today - comradely match RUSSIA - ITALY

On the eve of a friendly meeting with Italy, we are talking about the man with whom they have the greatest hopes in the Apennines - AC Milan forward Antonio Cassano.

WILL APPEAR LI At CASSAN FANS AT RUSSIA ?

"But I had either six hundred or seven hundred women, and you saw about twenty of them on TV." This phrase - from the book of the writer Antonio Cassano "I'll tell you everything", which made a splash in Italy and only recently lost first place in the ranking of scandalous football autobiographies - after another Milanese player released his biography, "I, Zlatan", Ibrahimovic.

Meanwhile, in the shadow of Don Juan tales and barbs against Capello, Totti and Spalletti (“I said to Luciano: your home is in Udinese, but here, in Roma, I am the owner!”) remained another book by Cassano - “My right leg", and with it another story, piercing in a streltsy way. It's about how in the children's team Cassano, who later went through every single Italian team, starting with U-15, periodically played alone. All alone - against the whole team.

But this, of course, is not at all as interesting as reading about the women with whom Cassano slept.

The national team of the country, where most of Kassan's passions come from, is really an "azure squadron", a flotilla of football players, and not eleven lonely ships. But for several decades now, the Azzurra Squadra has been held in high esteem by the psychological alignment of "10 + 1". Ten play for one, and one for all. Ten work, and the eleventh creates. Ten are loved, and the eleventh is idolized. And in case of defeat, which is natural, ten are shot, and one is burned at the stake.

Italy is famous for its magic defense, which teaches the impossible - to love a prevented goal, not a goal scored. However, even without a brilliant creative it is impossible to imagine this team. Having embarked on the path of evolution, not revolution in the national team, Cesare Prandelli could not help but remember and know this. And there is someone to remember - but Roberto Baggio stands apart. He could win an Oscar for the best role of the football maestro of Italy, but not the fact that the award would find a hero. On the day the statuette was presented, Baggio could well have gone to Tibet.

In 1994, Baggio became that hundred-year-old donkey - with a tail - on which the whole country perched and reached the final of the planetary championship, where the tired legs of the great martyr hero buckled in a penalty shootout. Four years later, Baggio again pulled the strap, but in the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Cup, everything came to an end. He was no longer called up to the national team, although Baggio dreamed about it. In his absence, the team has achieved a lot, but the Azzurra with Ponytail always occupied a little more space in the hearts than the Azzurra without him.

And at every new tournament, Italy was waiting for a new Roberto Baggio.

The "10 + 1" arrangement does not at all imply the presence of a dozen gray mice and one huge pink-nosed white. Italy 2012 is traditionally one of the most personal teams.

It contains a living monument to Gianluigi Buffon, who is already somehow indecent to be included in the lists of the best goalkeepers in the world, since he hovers somewhere above him with a halo in the form of a soccer ball.

In it is Giorgio Chiellini, whose career in the biggest football began with the fact that a few days before Euro-2008 he injured Fabio Cannavaro and deprived him of the European Championship.

In it, Torino defender Angelo Ogbonna, who plays in Serie B, is a unique case for the top team.

In it, the king and god of all Udinese “zebras” Antonio Di Natale, who, by his 34 years, repeated the achievement of Batistuta, scoring more than 20 goals in Serie A for the third consecutive season.

In it, Sebastian "Atomic Ant" Giovinco is a tidbit of Parmesan for all European clubs, including our Zenit.

In it, Antonio Nocerino, who was once kicked out of Juventus, got up, brushed himself off, the day before the transfer campaign closed, he was bought for a penny by Milan - and became the best in its composition, and even scored a goal against Juventus.

In it, Andrea Pirlo, who, on the contrary, was expelled from his native Milan, and he took away from the red-black Scudetto, repaying Silvio Berlusconi, his second father, with the same coin.

It has Mario Balotelli, who is, well... so Balotelli! At the European Championships, he will definitely surprise you unpleasantly.

But a couple of months before the tournament, Prandelli said: "Only for one player, I will hold the place until the last." It was about Cassano, who in 2012 is destined to become Italy's Roberto Baggio of our days.

Much had happened in Cassano's life a year earlier. He became national champion with Milan. He did everything to win Italy in the decisive games of the European selection. He became a father and almost left the child an orphan: on the Rome-Milan plane, his heart stopped for a moment, his breathing stopped, he lost the power of speech and vision. Cassano was operated on, he was treated for six months, and in the process of recovery he beat the paparazzi guarding the restaurant. Cassano recovered, returned. Scored the first post-op goal. Now from him and only from him, and not at all from Pirlo and Balotelli, miracles are expected in the Apennines. The piano was brought to him, and a bonfire is lit nearby. Just like that, for every fireman.

Taking on the rumors of the mind (the beaten paparazzi does not count), Cassano says this about his life, described in the scandalous book: "Now I would change almost everything in it." If so, the number of goals in his career could surpass the number of conquered women. On the other hand, at least 600 - 700 personal fans at Euro-2012 are provided to him.

Roberto Baggio never dreamed of such a thing.

Dmitry SIMONOV

ITALY TEAM

Head Coach - Cesare Prandelli

Antonio Cassano is one of the most talented players, who was placed to become great by an unbearable character.

Antonio Cassano

• Country - Italy.
• Position - striker.
• Born: July 12, 1982.
• Height: 175 cm.
• Weight: 88 kg.

Biography and career of a football player

Antonio Cassano's childhood was difficult - he grew up without a father, and his family barely made ends meet. The only entertainment available to little Antonio was football, and soon he got into the football school of Bari, a club from his hometown.

As Cassano later admitted, if not for football, he would have embarked on the path of crime, since he had no other way to break into people.

"Bari"

1999-2001

At the age of 17, Antonio Cassano made his debut for the first team of Bari, and already in the second match he opened the scoring with his goals, hitting the gates of Inter Milan. By the way, this goal was victorious.

In two years, Cassano played 50 matches for Bari, in which he scored only 6 goals. Such low performance is explained by the level of the young striker's partners - if in the 1999-2000 season Bari fought for survival, taking the saving 14th line in the table, then a year later they flew to Serie B, and did it with a bang, becoming the last behind nearest club by 16 points!

But even against such a background, Cassano showed an excellent game and at the end of the season received the prize of the best young player in Serie A.

"Roma"

2001-2006

Several clubs claimed it, but Roma outdid everyone, by the way, the current champion of the country. The Romans laid out 28 million euros for the young football player.

Then a whole scattering of star forwards played for Roma - Francesco Totti, Vincenzo Montella, Marco Delvecchio, Abel Balbo.

Even in this company, Cassano was able to win back his place at the base. The best in terms of goals scored in his career was the 2003-2004 season, when Cassano scored 18 goals. Yes, for a class forward, the indicator is not the most significant, but Antonio has never been a classic spearhead. He liked to operate from deep in the field, mixed up on the flanks and created chances for teammates.

In Roma, the obstinate character of Antonio Cassano first appeared. At first, he began to conflict with the head coach, then with team leader Francesco Totti, and then he insulted Luciano Spalletti, who replaced Capello. These conflicts were the main reason for the parting of Cassano with the "wolves".

Much later he would say something like this:

"Cassano, in terms of football, is the best player I've ever been on the field with, here we spoke the same language with him."

Such recognition of the legendary football player is worth a lot.

"Real"

2006-2007

However, he did not move anywhere, but to Real Madrid, which at that time was coached by Fabio Capello. However, in Roma, the relationship between the player and the coach did not completely deteriorate, and Don Fabio, not intending to spread rot on his ward, began to put him at the base.

But the obstinate striker did not appreciate the coach's attitude - at first Cassano publicly expressed dissatisfaction after he was replaced, and after one of the matches he did not find anything better than to parody the head coach.

It is clear that after that it was possible to put a bold cross on his career at Real Madrid. For a year and a half, Cassano managed to play for the "royal club" in just 29 matches, where he scored 4 goals. However, this did not prevent him from becoming the champion of Spain.

"Sampdoria"

2008-2011, 2015-2017

After a year on loan, Sampdoria bought Cassano's transfer from the Madrid club, helped by Antonio's excellent performance. The audience saw the former Cassano: smart, technical, inventive. He became a true leader of the club, often pulling out matches alone.

In the 2009-2010 season, Sampdoria finished fourth, earning the right to play in the Champions League qualification.

Fans idolized Cassano, but this did not save the striker from parting with the club after another series of strange antics. This time, Cassano grappled with club president Ricardo Garrone. For the time being, he tolerated the striker's antics, but when Cassano did not appear at the dinner party, his patience snapped.

In 2015, the 33-year-old striker will return to Sampdoria, where he will end his playing career. True, before the start of the 2017-2018 season, Cassano signed a contract with the Hellas Verona team, for which he did not play a single official match.

"Milan"

2011-2012

And then, in January 2011, Antonio Cassano signed a contract with Milan, who were urgently looking for a replacement for the one who dropped out due to injury. Having played 17 matches until the end of the championship, Cassano helped his new club to win the championship.

The next season, Cassano also started great, but his health failed - unexpectedly, the football player was diagnosed with heart disease, he underwent a complex operation, recovery after which took as long as six months.

Largely due to his absence, Milan then lost the Scudetto to Juventus. Surprisingly, Cassano was not at the center of any scandal here. Such an “honor” in his career was previously awarded only to his native Bari.

"Inter"

2012-2013

But, nevertheless, in August 2012, Milan and Inter made an exchange of strikers - Cassano went to the Nerazzurri camp, and Giampaulo Pazzini proceeded in the opposite direction.

At the new club, Cassano played well - 9 goals in 32 matches, but Inter had already begun to slide down, which began after leaving, and ended the season in 9th place in the table.

In addition, Cassano took up the old ways, quarreling right in training with the team's head coach Andrea Stramaccioni.

"Parma"

2013-2015

At that time, Cassano had already crossed the 30-year mark, and his reputation as a brawler scared away many. As a result, the striker waited only for the offer of Parma.

The first season turned out to be excellent - 13 goals in 36 matches and the final 6th place of the team. But the following season, Parma left Serie A, and Cassano returned to Sampdoria.

Italy national team

2003-2014

Despite the fact that Antonio Cassano was called up to the Italian national team for more than 10 years, he played only 39 matches in its composition. Not every coach dared to call a striker with a scandalous reputation, sometimes injuries intervened.

Cassano went to the first World Championship for himself only in 2014. In Brazil, the Italian team performed unsuccessfully, failing to qualify from the group. Cassano only twice came on as a substitute, and did not show himself in any way, which did not prevent him from blaming his teammates for the defeats.

Antonio Cassano's wife is water polo player Carolina Marchalis. They got married in 2010 and have two children, sons Christopher and Lionel.

• Cassano was born the day after Italy won the 1982 World Cup.
• Antonio Cassano was considered one of football's sex symbols, according to him, he had connections with 600 or 700 girls.

“I don’t remember the exact number,” the footballer modestly noted.

• Antonio has always been a lover of a lot and tasty food, which is why he had problems with being overweight. He himself explained this by a difficult childhood, when he "could not eat his fill."
• Somehow Antonio Cassano took the fashion to celebrate the victory with a striptease - he remained in the same swimming trunks and leggings.

• "I'll Tell You Everything" is the name of Antonio Cassano's autobiographical book. It turned out to be quite scandalous, in which the forward spoke frankly about some of his conflicts and their background.

Of course, Antonio Cassano's reputation is far from flawless. But he was a smart and technical football player who could do everything in attack. Too bad he didn't always show it.

Position: Attack

Team number: 99

Date of Birth: 12/07/1982

Citizenship: Italy

Growth: 175 cm

The weight: 73 kg

Antonio Cassano(Italian Antonio Cassano; July 12, 1982, Bari) is an Italian football player, striker. Player of the club "Parma" and the Italian national team.

Career

Cassano is a graduate of the Bari club. He made his debut in Serie A of the 1999/2000 season on December 11, 1999 in an away match of the 13th round against Lecce (the hosts won 1-0). Already in the next round, on December 18, 1999, at the San Nicola home stadium, he scored the winning goal against Inter (Bari won 2: 1), opening the scoring with his balls in Serie A (after passing along the left flank to speed, moved to the center, beating Laurent Blanc and Christian Panucci on the counter, Fabrizio Ferron struck in the left corner for himself). In two seasons, Fantantonio played 48 matches for his native club and scored 6 goals.

In 2001, the striker moved to Roma, which at that time was the champion of Italy. The transfer amount was 28 million euros. Cassano scored his first goal for the new team in the national championship in the 18th round against Verona. Despite a good game and high performance, Cassano could not fully realize his talent. In this he was hindered by his obstinate nature. The player became famous for constant scandals with coaches and club management. In 2006, after a lengthy dispute over signing a new contract, Cassano was sold to Real Madrid. This was a transfer mistake by the Madrid club. Cassano came into open conflict with Fabio Capello, with whom he had a bad relationship since their time together at Roma. Capello claimed that the player was overweight and in poor physical shape.

In 2007, Cassano was loaned to Sampdoria. At home, the football player received additional motivation. His game began to resemble the game of five years ago. Cassano did not clash with the club's management, regularly scored and became a favorite of the Genoese fans. In 2008, Sampdoria bought the rights to the player. On April 11, 2010, at the 23rd minute, he scored the only goal against Alessio Scarpi in the Genoa derby against Genoa. the striker refused to attend a charity dinner hosted by the head of the team. After that, Cassano was suspended from training and stopped getting into the application for matches.

In mid-December, Sampdoria decided to part with the player. Rumors began to appear that Cassano would go to AC Milan. Rossoneri vice-president Adriano Galliani said that Antonio will take the place of Filippo Inzaghi, who was eliminated until the end of the season due to injury. But there were some problems with the transfer: Sampdoria owed Real Madrid 5 million euros for the transfer of Antonio. Milan was not going to pay this amount. But nevertheless, the clubs agreed: both Milan and Sampdoria will pay the debt to Real Madrid in equal parts. On January 3, 2011, Cassano signed with AC Milan until 2014. The football player said after the transition: “I got to the top. Above "Milan" only the sky. If I don't succeed here, I'll have to be locked up in a lunatic asylum." On January 6, 2011, Cassano made his debut for Milan in an away match against Cagliari and made an assist to Rodney Strasser, after which the only goal in the match was scored.

On October 29, 2011, Antonio felt unwell while on board the plane, which he returned after the match between his Milan and Roma; in particular, he suddenly developed problems with vision, speech and movement. Upon arrival at the airport, the footballer was sent to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with heart problems: the septum between the right and left ventricles was not completely closed. On November 4, Antonio was operated on in Milan by Professor Mario Carminati. The operation was successful, the player's recovery period was set at 6 months. In April, doctors allowed Cassano to return to football. On April 7, Cassano came on as a substitute in the 84th minute of the match against Fiorentina.

On April 29, Antonio scored the first goal after returning, on the 26th minute against Siena. Milan won that match 4-1. As Cassano himself said, he dedicated this goal to the doctor of the Milan club Rodolfo Tavana, who helped him return to big football.

On August 22, 2012, Inter and Milan officially announced the exchange of strikers Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini. Cassano's contract with Inter runs until June 30, 2014.

After moving to Internazionale, Cassano, in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, gave his reason for leaving AC Milan:

This deal is obviously more beneficial for Inter. Massimo Moratti wanted to buy me when Roberto Mancini worked here. But since I was completely crazy at the time, it was right of him not to sign me. I also had other offers, for example from Qatar. I was offered a lot of money, but I intend to play for the national team at the World Cup, so I chose the “real” championship. He was forced to leave Milan. There was one person who had more power than the coach, who behaved incorrectly. When I was unwell, teammates and fans supported me, and this man promised a lot of things, but these were empty words. He only gets along with people who suck up to him, which is not my style. As for my contract with Milan, the issue of extending the agreement was raised, but the discussion was constantly postponed. And then, two of my good friends were sold - Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, after which all my doubts were dispelled. I would like to thank the owner of the club, Silvio Berlusconi, his daughter Barbara, who is on the club's board, Milan fans and former teammates. I didn't have any problems with them. I used to say that only the sky is higher than the red-black ones. Well, the sky was Inter.

On March 2, 2013, during a training session, Cassano came into conflict with the team's head coach Andrea Stramaccioni. In this regard, the striker was not included in the application for the match with Catania, and he was also fined for a quarrel with the coach. On July 3, 2013, Cassano signed an agreement with Parma for a period of three years. There he took number 99. At the official press conference dedicated to the presentation of Antonio as a new Parma player, the striker admitted that he left Inter Milan because of the new head coach of the team, Walter Mazzarri, under whose guidance he trained back at Sampdoria.

I am grateful to Inter president Massimo Moratti, sporting director Marco Branca and the club's CEO Piero Ausilio, but not to new head coach Walter Mazzarri. Even before he joined the club, he told me that I was a first-team player, and after signing the contract, he said that I should go home. He pushed me to leave. I wanted to leave Inter because I was no longer part of his future plans.

national team

Cassano made his debut for the national team in November 2003 against Poland.

As part of the Italian national team, he played at Euro 2004 and Euro 2008, but the player did not make it to the 2006 World Championship, which was triumphant for the Italians.

Personal life

For a long period, the temperamental football player met with showgirl Rosaria Kannavo, but at present his heart belongs to the water polo player Carolina Marchalis. On June 19, 2010, the wedding ceremony of Antonio and Carolina Marchalis took place in the Church of St. Martin (Chiesa di San Martino) in Portofino. April 14, 2011 at about 4 am in the clinic "La Madonnina" in Milan, the firstborn of Antonio and Carolina, Christopher, was born. On March 18, 2013, the couple had a second son, Lionel.

Achievements

Command

• Italian Super Cup Winner: 2001, 2011
• Spanish Champion: 2006/07
• Italian Champion: 2010/11

Personal

• He distinguished himself three times in the Roman derby against Lazio for Roma.
• Serie A Young Player of the Year: 2001, 2003