Antonio Cassano: Once most-expensive teenager in world football and Italian boy-wonder without shirt number at Sampdoria
Sponsored by
ANTONIO CASSANO was recently asked by a fan for shirt, to which he replied: “Shirt? I don’t even have a number.”
It’s a clear indication of the extreme fall from grace for the Sampdoria ‘player’ and one-time Italian wonderkid.
An Italian football legend from birth, he was born the after day Italy were crowned world champions in 1982.
Roma made him football’s most expensive teenager in the world when Fabio Capello signed him from Bari for £26million in 2001 at the age of 19.
His signing was supposed to elevate the Serie A champions to another level.
Cassano had shot to prominence after a spectacular, 88th-minute, match-winning goals against Inter Milan in 1999. He controlled a 40-yard pass with his heel, turned and dribbled past veteran defenders, Laurent Blanc and Christian Panucci, before coolly slotting past the goalkeeper.
He was named Serie A Young Player of the Year in 2001 — but owed much of that to his performances with Bari.
The striker clashed with Capello during his first campaign and was sent off during the 2003 Coppa Italia defeat to AC Milan.
Watch ALL the goals from the Premier League before anyone else for FREE plus all the latest news, fixtures and results and live match commentary all on the go with the new Sun Football App – click here to download
In 2003, he was again voted Serie A Young Player of the Year.
Capello left for Juventus in 2004 and Roma went into freefall. Their third boss of the season, Luigi Del Neri, who came in after Cesare Prandelli and Rudi Voller omitted Cassano from the starting line-up.
He was replaced by club legend, Bruno Conti, who restored the striker — and even made him captain while Francesco Totti served a five-match ban.
However, he lasted just one more season and, after a bitter contract wrangle, left for Real Madrid in 2006 in acrimonious circumstances — clashing with the club’s icon.
The Spanish giants fined him for every gram — ten — he remained over his playing weight.
He was joined at the Bernabeu by former boss, Capello, and was immediately suspended due to his ‘disrespect’ of the Champions League-winning manager.
Related Stories
Cassano desperately tried to make peace with Totti to enable his return to Roma — but to no avail.
He stayed in Madrid for one-and-a-half seasons and scored just one goal. He did, however, pick up a league winner’s medal.
Sampdoria brought him back on loan in August 2007, where he recaptured his best form.
Cassano helped the Blucerchiati reach the Coppa Italia final, where he missed a spot-kick en route to a penalty shoot-out loss.
He received a five-match ban after hurling his shirt at a referee following a sending off.
And in 2009-10, he helped cost former club, Roma the title with an assist as Sampdoria won 2-1 at the Olympic Stadium — and was rejoicing with team-mates on the pitch at the end of the match.
Milan took a punt and signed him in January 2010 to form a stellar attack alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alexandre Pato and Robinho.
He won a maiden Scudetto in his first season at the San Siro and scored a penalty — before being sent off — against derby rivals, Inter.
Horror would follow in his second season as Cassano spent six months on the sidelines following a stroke suffered after a clash with former club, Roma.
Milan’s decision to sell Ibrahimovic and star defender, Thiago Silva to Paris Saint-Germain, infuriated the Italian striker — and he demanded a move.
Never afraid to upset anyone, he just moved across the city to Inter.
But it was a disaster. He constantly clashed with manager, Andrea Stramaccioni, as the Nerazzurri — who had won the Champions League three years earlier — finished the 2012-13 season in ninth-place.
He left after just 12 months and signed for Parma.
Cassano lost a stone and a half and again recaptured his best form to lead the club to sixth place and qualification for the Europa League.
Financially troubles meant he was released and returned to Sampdoria in 2015 on a free transfer.
He has played in three European Championships — netting three times — and was fined by Uefa after Euro 2012 for making homophobic comments.
Cassano’s World Cup debut came at the age 32 against Costa Rica in Brazil.
