Hassan Chamas

It seems like an eternity now, since Italian forward Antonio Cassano signed for Spanish giants Real Madrid. The transfer, which was not expected to say the least, hit the headlines, as much for its low value (a mere €5.5 million), as for the controversy that it created.

Cassano, since 2004, was labeled as the new golden boy of Italian football. The talented two-footed forward was often compared to his former team-mate and mentor Francesco Totti. Interestingly comparisons were also made with Argentinean legend Diego Maradona, and thus Cassano was nicknamed by his boyhood club AS Bari, El Pibe de Bari, a clear reference to Maradona’s nickname.

Rise to fame

Antonio Cassano made his Serie A debut for local club AS Bari against Lecce, in 1999, at the tender age of just 16. A week later, he scored a magnificent strike against Inter Milan. Pretty soon, most of Italy’s top guns were already in the hunt for him, and many labeled him as the future forward for the Squadra Azzura, one that should replace the aging Tottis, Del Pieros, and Inzaghis.

He was eventually signed by capital side AS Roma, for the massive fee of  €28 million, a truly huge amount for a player that was just 19 years old. At Roma Cassano flourished, scoring some wonderful goals, and was eventually called up for the Euro 2004 tournament, where he was his side’s most important player, scoring against the likes of Bulgaria and Sweden.

There’s no denying that Cassano is pure raw talent, and an important source of goals. However, the forward is also an important source of trouble. He had numerous spats with the Roma coaches, and was constantly a cause of friction within the club. With his professional contract expiring in June 2006, and negotiations having stalled with AS Roma, Cassano was rumoured to follow his ex-coach Fabio Capello to Juventus. Instead, he opted to join Real Madrid in January 2006.

From hero to zero

When he transferred to Madrid, Cassano became only the second Italian player to ply his trade at the side’s capital team. He debuted for them on January 18^th, 2006, in a cup match against Real Betis, where he scored his first goal just instants after coming on to the pitch. He went on to excel in a few matches, but his performance had soon noticeably dropped. Reports of his wild life of partying had surfaced, as well as an all too evident expanding waistline, one that forced Madrid to fine him for every gram. With Cassano nowhere near his peak, it was natural that he was omitted from the Italian squad that went to Germany for 2006 World Cup.

In the 2006-07, Antonio Cassano had the opportunity to revive his career, when his former coach Fabio Capello took over the hot seat of the Santiago Bernabeu. However, he featured rarely in the Italian tactician’s plans, and his frustration culminated after a game against Gimnastic, where he supposedly said to his coach: "Have you got no shame? I fought for you in Rome and this is how you repay me?". This was his last match in a Real Madrid shirt. After theincident and with club president Ramon Calderon himself stating that Cassano would leave the club, the Italian forward knew that his Spanish honeymoon was over.

Renaissance

On August 13^th, 2007, Cassano was loaned out to Italian side UC Sampdoria. Since then, the forward has simply been on fire, scoring on every occasion possible, and further enforcing his position as one of Europe’s most promising youngsters. Very soon, rumours of a national team comeback quickly surfaced in the media, and everyone was pressuring national team coach Donadoni to name Fantantonio in the squad that will challenge for the European Championship this summer. That is, of course, until Cassano hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons again: In a game where he was sent off against Torino, he supposedly took off his shirt and threw it at the referee. Consequence: A lengthy five-match ban.

Game over

One has to ask himself of the future of Antonio Cassano after this incident. At club level, his actions have raised the eyebrows of the Sampdoria directors, who will now reconsider the idea of his permanent purchase from Real Madrid. On the international level, Donadoni has every reason now not to summon him to Euro 2008.

Cassano could ultimately go back to Real Madrid. After all, maybe he’s just a misunderstood lad who needs correct guidance in order to excel, much like what current Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster did with Robinho. Consequence: the Brazilian winger is now having the best season of his life, and is La Liga’s most impressive player so far. Also, if he can succeed in showing that he can behave correctly, then maybe, and just maybe, he is the answer to Madrid’s forward crisis, and an adequate replacement for the aging Ruud Van Nistelrooy. The reigning Spanish champions are supposedly in the market for another striker to provide extra cover and Cassano could potentially be the final piece of the puzzle. He certainly doesn’t lack the capacity, compared to other potential names, such as Lyon’s Karim Benzema, and Sevilla’s Luis Fabiano, and would cost them nothing. His club career is still pretty much a debatable subject. But one thing’s for certain: Bari’s boy shot his chances of making the Euro 2008 squad when he “presented” his shirt to the referee.