Antonio the terrible

 

By David Lee Wheatley

Story of a troubled star

Individualistic, nomadic and notoriously difficult to handle, Inter star Antonio Cassano has seen and done it all, both on and off the field. On the eve of his 31^st birthday later this month, could the Italian international finally be ready to settle down?

From bursting on the scene at hometown club Bari at the age of 17, Cassano left a trail of destruction in his wake everywhere he went.

He fell out with a succession of coaches including Fabio Capello and legendary team-mate Francesco Totti during a five-year stint with Roma. A long-running feud with club management over the terms of a proposed contract renewal only served to push the talented forward closer to the exit door.

Infamous tales of his time at Real Madrid add to the aura surrounding the bad boy of Italian football. He had a friend covertly deliver pastries to his hotel room in Madrid after sex; when he was finished with whichever girl he was entertaining that evening, his hotel worker acquaintance would bring him an abundance of food and in turn escort the girl discreetly out of the building.

Ballooning weight was a constant issue during a tumultuous spell at the Bernabeu and he was handed numerous fines as the club attempted to curb his eating habits. Cassano’s wild-child behaviour landed him in several dressing rooms spats with arch-nemesis Capello, which eventually resulted in his omission from the side. He later claimed that he would gladly walk the whole way back to Rome to rejoin his old club, even publicly stating his intention to make up with club captain Totti on his return.

That forlorn hope for redemption with Roma failed to materialise, but he did make it back to Serie A with Sampdoria. It appeared Cassano had finally found a niche in Genoa due to a much-improved disciplinary record and a none-too-shabby goals tally averaging 1 in every 3 matches. A happy three years at Samp seemed the perfect antidote to a long list of problems surrounding the player, but he blew up spectacularly in October 2010 when losing his temper with club president Riccardo Garrone having refused to attend an awards ceremony.

The president was sufficiently incensed to bring the case before an arbitration panel in an effort to have Cassano’s contract terminated. His request was refused, but Garrone had no intention of allowing the bad egg in his basket ruin the harmony within his squad. Therefore, a deal was hastily sought with Milan that would see the troublesome striker manoeuvred off Genoese land.

A life-threatening event struck after joining the Milanese giants, when on board a plane travelling back from an away victory at former club Roma in October 2011. Initially laughing and joking with colleagues, Cassano suddenly began experiencing difficulty with his speech and vision during the flight. It became apparent following tests that the Puglia-native had suffered a cerebral problem linked to a stroke. The fiery forward had to undergo an operation to close a small hole in his heart, resulting in several months of recovery time and even presenting the dreaded possibility of retirement.

Despite his chequered past, an outpouring of love and concern for Antonio reached out from football lovers all around the world. Huge figures from the sport, including fellow controversial character Diego Maradona, offered their support to Cassano in his hour of need. Thankfully and somewhat amazingly, he made it back to first-team action by April 2012.

Before and after the stroke, Cassano witnessed his route to a starting place blocked by the substantial presence of Ibrahimovic, Pato and Robinho during a year-and-a-half stay with the Rossoneri, prompting a dramatic switch to city rivals Inter shortly after the end of Euro 2012 in which he competed for the eventual tournament runners-up.

During the competition, the ugly side of Cassano reared its head once again when making a comment that was construed by many as homophobic. A journalist asked during a media conference if he thought there were any gay footballers in the Italian national squad, to which he replied, “I hope there aren’t any”. He later claimed that he’d been misunderstood, but UEFA slapped him with a hefty fine in reaction to his ill-judged retort to the press.

His Inter career failed to sparkle, as the team suffered an awful campaign under rookie head coach Andrea Stramaccioni. To compound matters, he and Cassano had to be separated during a dressing-room row at the training ground in February. What had begun as a normal discussion descended into mayhem, forcing several players and officials to step in and separate the pair.

Despite relieving Stramaccioni of his duties this summer, Inter evidently saw enough of Cassano’s explosive nature within the last few months to offload him.

Standing on the verge of a move to Parma, will the Bari-born tormentor of authority find a permanent home in the Emilio-Romagna region? Does Cassano possess the capabilities to rekindle the form that he displayed regularly with Sampdoria, before that much-publicised falling out with the president? Or, is he set for a further fall from grace with his new club?

Time will tell whether the controversial Cassano can reproduce his best having suffered such tremendous upheaval throughout his career, but the fine food on offer in that part of Italy, including prosciutto and cheese, will surely be to his liking at the very least!

 

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