When it comes to Antonio Cassano, you have to take the good with the bad. On the one hand you have a supreme footballing ability. On the other an immaturity that struggles to deal with that very fact. No wonder it sometimes gets ugly. "Players like him are born only once every 30 years," remarked Eugenio Fascetti after the youngster left Bari for Roma in 2001. "But the boy needs guidance, otherwise you run the risk of losing out on his talent." He wasn’t wrong.
The 21-year-old has had his problems since he left his hometown club. He’s infuriated teammates, been frozen out of the Under-21 international squad and been fined by his club after a number of misunderstandings with Coach Fabio Capello. Yet there are signs he is slowly getting his head right.
Born the day after Italy won the 1982 World Cup, the streets of Bari Vecchia - a poor suburb in the port city - was where Cassano developed his unique skills. It didn’t take long for the big clubs to come knocking on his mother’s door. Parma made contact, while Inter were ready to offer him a deal after he excelled at a trial in Milan. However, mamma Giovanna - who was looking after her child single-handedly - wasn’t convinced a move North was the best option for her son. Bari eventually benefited.
It was only a matter of time until Fascetti would be convinced of Cassano’s balance and guile. He made his debut as a 17-year-old in a local derby against Lecce. He followed that up a week later with a wonder goal against, oddly enough, Inter. He controlled a through ball with his heel, nodded it down to his feet between two defenders to slot home the winner. He had played less than 180 minutes in Serie A and was already being linked with a £10m move to Juventus.
As the weeks past, the number of clubs associated with his services increased. So too did his price tag. Roma eventually won the auction when they made sure that Cassano, who had dreamed about playing alongside his idol Francesco Totti, was theirs for a cool £20m. He was still just 19. "Juventus only offered half of that," said Roma President Franco Sensi. "I wanted him, I paid for him and I got him. He cost me a sack load of money but he has been a solid investment. He and Totti are the future of Italy. If Totti is my adopted son then Cassano is my adopted grandson."
The Giallorossi patron made that statement in November 2003 after Cassano had just made his full international debut. But there must have been times over the past two years when Sensi seriously questioned his own judgement. Maybe Juve transfer chief Luciano Moggi was right? "Cassano is a real talent but £20m for a player of his age is excessive," he stated in 2001. "It’s too soon to understand exactly how much he is worth."
Fortunately Fabio Capello is moulding him into the player many predicted. The former Milan tactician decided that although Cassano was obviously a talent he wouldn’t be singled out for special care. The Coach treated him like a man, like any other member of his squad. It took time for the boy to understand.
He’d already had the Azzurrini doors slammed in his face after a number of disagreements with Coach Claudio Gentile. The former Juventus stopper didn’t like the effect that Cassano’s attitude was having on the rest of the squad so he decided to do without him. Cassano was then famously fined by his club for going AWOL. Having been told by Capello that he wouldn’t play against Perugia in the League, Cassano decided he would skip Saturday’s training session and take the weekend off. He turned off his mobile phone and left his agent to apologise for him.
At the beginning of this season people wondered why Cassano would make the headlines. Would it be for his explosive, attacking talents? Or the petulant bad boy behaviour which saw him dismissed in the Coppa Italia Final for insulting the referee? Fortunately, and entertainingly, it has been for awesome form rather than attitude.
Cassano is now a firm fixture in Capello’s plans, where he features alongside Francesco Totti and another striker selected from Vincenzo Montella or John Carew. He creates, he scores and his link-up with Totti is class personified. His maiden Italian call-up for the games against Poland and Romania were nothing more than his talent deserved. "Playing for Italy has always been my obsession and to be honest I saw that there were players being called up who weren’t as good as me," said the short in stature but not short in confidence striker. "This is the new Cassano and I’m looking to convince Giovanni Trapattoni to keep picking me."He marked his debut, wearing Totti’s No 10 shirt, with a splendid goal as he delicately chipped Jerzy Dudek in the 3-1 defeat in Warsaw. "He was destined to play for the Azzurri sooner or later," remarked Trap. "I was delighted with his performance. He did wonderfully well and showed some very intelligent touches. It was a positive test for him and he crowned it with a beautiful goal."
Yet within a week Cassano’s demons had returned. He assured himself a new fine after he stormed away from training following a clash with Capello. The reason? Because the tactician left him out of a practice game. "We all know every now and again he does these things," sighed the Coach. "We call them ‘Cassanate’, The fact he still needs to mature is something everyone is aware of. Most importantly himself."
If he can do that then 2004 could turn out to be a special year at club and international level for the former ‘Gioellino del Bari’ - Little Gem of Bari. Even informed people outside of Italy are predicting great things for him. "I know Cassano well from my time as South Africa boss," stated Real Madrid Coach Carlos Queiroz. "I used to go to Bari to watch Phil Masinga but I was always struck by this boy who dribbled past players as if they were skittles. He will be a star at Euro 2004 and the next World Cup."
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