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Antonio Cassano is a footballing oddity. He is the type of character one would rarely find in football, probably similar to Mario Balotelli in a lot of ways. He is a misunderstood genius.
Playing as a Trequartista (Italian term for a second striker), he is one of the most talented players that Italy has ever produced. At just 30, he at the peak of his playing career.
Fans call him ‘Fantantanio’. That says a lot about how much they admire him. He is fantastic, but only when his head is in the right place. Watching any of his compilations on Youtube would leave anyone of us in awe of this man. The exquisite close control, passing and dribbling ability he possesses is second to none.
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Fabio Capello coined an interesting term (Cassanata) to describe his short temper combined his outstanding ability on the pitch.
Starting his playing career with his hometown club Bari, he rose through the the youth ranks to make his debut for the senior team in 1999 . His exploits at Bari earned him the title ‘Il Gioiello di Bari Vecchia’ (The Jewel of Old Bari).
After two years at Bari, he moved to the then reigning Serie A champions AS Roma where he formed a volatile on and off-field partnership with teammate and fellow maverick , Francesco Totti . It was at Roma that he first came in contact with Fabio Capello, and it was here that the term ‘Cassanata’ first came into use. During Cassano’s spell at Roma from 2001-2006, he oversaw the sacking and appointment of four different coaches. Further off-field troubles resulted in him moving to Real Madrid in 2006 for a pittance.
Despite scoring against Real Betis after just three minutes into his debut, he would go on to have a rather acrimonious time at the Santiago Bernabeu. He would be regularly benched along with a certain David Beckham, off-field troubles continued to haunt him, and it extended to a point where the club had to fine him for being overweight.
Another club, another case of unfulfilled potential.
Sampdoria offered him salvation by taking him on loan and agreeing to pay half of his wages. He formed a fearsome partnership with goal-poacher Gianpaolo Pazzini. They have lead Sampdoria to two years of relative success, and the Cassano-Pazzini partnership was often compared to the Vialli-Mancini partnership of the previous decade when Sampdoria last won the Serie A title .
Stability and Cassano don’t go hand in hand. Cassano had a heated argument with the club’s chairman about attending an awards ceremony and Sampdoria appealed to the league arbitration panel for Cassano’s contract to be terminated. That resulted in further loss of playing time for him. Sampdoria has never recovered from losing Pazzini and Cassano, and were relegated the next season .
After lengthy negotiations, he signed for AC Milan in January 2010. Since then, he hasn’t been a regular starter for them, always being behind Ibrahimovic, Robinho and Pato in the pecking order.
Cassano’s international career has also been a subject of intense scrutiny. He has a grand total of 16 caps and 4 goals over 10 years. He wasn’t really favoured by any Italian national team coach over the past 10 years, despite strong media and public sentiments rooting for him. There was a strong shout from the fans for him to be included in Italy’s (eventually humiliating) 2010 World Cup campaign under coach Marcelo Lippi, but it wasn’t to be the case. Lippi argued that including Cassano would go against the team spirit and disrupt their harmony .
The new national team coach Cesare Prandelli probably realizes Cassano’s importance to the national team more than any other coaches in the recent past and has earmarked an important role for him and even Mario Balotelli in the Italian squad for the Euros.
Presently, Cassano is down with a serious heart ailment which threatens to derail his Euro 2012 dreams where he would have been a certain starter .
I feel it is the presence of temperamental geniuses like Cassano, Balotelli, Cantona and Gascoigne that makes football all the more interesting and beautiful. These type of players should rather be nurtured and celebrated rather than publicizing their short coming.
It’s no surprise that so many managers have taken a chance with Cassano, despite being fully aware of his dodgy temperament. They know he is a sensational talent and an invaluable asset who can turn a match at his will in a tight, tactical contest with a wonderful pass or a scintillating solo dribble past defenders .
Antonio Cassano will be back, stronger and more mature than before.
