Antonio Cassano believes Barcelona would have won the Spanish Super Cup Clasico 10-1 if Wojciech Szczesny had not been sent off.
Former Real Madrid striker Antonio Cassano enjoyed his time in the Spanish capital, just not in the way everyone expected. The Italian enjoyed worldly pleasures such as good food, romantic adventures and humor with his teammates (his impersonation of coach Fabio Capello earned him a suspension), but he did not have the desired impact on the field. Cassano himself agrees with the opinion of many fans: there were too many distractions off the pitch in Madrid to succeed with the LaLiga giants
Signed for $6 million by Real Madrid, Cassano joined from Roma as a big star but left after scoring just four goals and providing three assists in 29 games. It was the worst period of his career during his only spell outside Italy. After a move to Sampdoria for the 2007–08 season, just a year after arriving at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, he was transferred to the Genoa club for $5.5 million.
How former Real Madrid striker Cassano fell in love with Barça
Cassano's less than ideal spell in Madrid can be explained by many factors and anecdotes, but he recently highlighted one: love. The Italian recently explained that while he holds Real Madrid in high regard, his real passion for Spanish football is for their arch-rivals, Barcelona. And if there's one thing Cassano has always been, it's passionate.
The ex-striker explains that Barça left a mark on him during two Champions League matches between the Catalans and Roma in 2002.
That Barcelona team, coached by Carles Rexach, featured a young Carles Puyol at right-back, Xavi trying to make a name for himself, veterans like Luis Enrique and Sergi, and established stars like Rivaldo and Patrick Kluivert.
It wasn't one of the most memorable teams in Barça history, but it still fascinated the Italian. “I started to understand their philosophy when I played for Roma and we played against them. We beat them 3-0, with goals from Totti, Montella and Tommasi. The second leg was 1-1, with goals from Kluivert and Panucci. Then I fell in love with them,” he recalls.
Cassano: “I would have made more sacrifices for Barcelona than Real Madrid”
Such was his fascination with Barcelona that Cassano recently admitted that he would have made more sacrifices to live a less distracted life, as is usually required in top-flight football, had he joined the Blaugrana club in 2006 instead of Real Madrid.
“Maybe I should have made more sacrifices for Barcelona… but the most important club in history called me to play for the Galácticos, and I don't regret it at all. But when I look back, knowing what I know now about Barcelona, if I had the chance… At that time they had Ronaldinho in my position, they had the Ballon d'Or winner. But I fell in love and I am still in love with Barcelona,” he concludes.
'Barcelona would have beaten Real Madrid 10-1'
Whether blinded by his love for Barcelona or not, Cassano insists the Catalans should have won Sunday's Spanish Super Cup final by a lot more than the final score of 5-2.
“If Barça had not sent off Wojciech Szczesny, the match would have ended 10-1. I repeat: 10-1. And not 10-2, because the Real Madrid goal came from the free kick after the red card,” he explained.
Cassano will forever be associated with Roma, but eventually played for almost half the teams in Serie A. After his time at Sampdoria, he returned to the elite with spells at both Milan and Inter. In 2013 he was loaned out to Parma and in 2015 he signed for Sampdoria for the second time, the only team he rejoined in his career. 17 days after moving to Hellas Verona in July 2017, his contract was terminated by mutual consent and he retired from football.
A player of undoubted talent, Cassano won four trophies with three different clubs: two Italian Super Cups (Roma, 2001/02; Milan, 2011/12) and two league titles, one with Milan (2010/11) and one with Real Madrid . (2006/07), even though his contribution was minimal.
Comments