LaLiga
Real Madrid forward declares love for Barcelona: “I would’ve made more sacrifices for Barça”
Antonio Cassano believes Barcelona would’ve won the Spanish Super Cup Clásico 10-1 if Wojciech Szczesny hadn’t been sent off.
Former Real Madrid attacker Antonio Cassano enjoyed his time in the Spanish capital, just not in the way everyone expected. The Italian indulged in worldly pleasures like good food, romantic adventures, and humor with his teammates (his imitation of coach Fabio Capello earned him a suspension), but he didn’t have the desired impact on the field. Cassano himself agrees with the view of many fans: there were too many off-field distractions in Madrid to succeed with the LaLiga giants
Signed for $6 million by Real Madrid, Cassano arrived from Roma as a huge star but left after scoring just four goals and providing three assists in 29 games. It was the worst period of his career in his only stint outside Italy. After a loan move to Sampdoria for the 2007-08 season, just one year after arriving at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, he was transferred to the Genoa club for $5.5 million.
How former Real Madrid attacker Cassano fell in love with Barça
Cassano’s less-than-ideal stint in Madrid can be explained by many factors and anecdotes, but he recently highlighted one: love. The Italian recently explained that, although he holds Real Madrid in high regard, his real passion in relation to Spanish soccer is for their arch rivals, Barcelona. And if there’s one thing Cassano has always been, it’s passionate.
The ex-forward explains that Barça left a mark on him during two Champions League games 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’s history, but it captivated the Italian nevertheless. “I started to understand their philosophy when I was at Roma and we played against them. We beat them 3-0, with goals by Totti, Montella, and Tommasi. The return leg was 1-1, with goals from Kluivert and Panucci. That’s when I fell in love with them,” he recalls.
Cassano: “I would’ve made more sacrifices for Barcelona than Real Madrid”
Such was his fascination with Barcelona that Cassano recently admitted he would have made more sacrifices to lead a less distracted life, as is usually required in elite soccer, if he had joined the Blaugrana club in 2006 instead of Real Madrid.
“I would have made more sacrifices for Barcelona, maybe… but the most important club in history called me to play with the Galácticos, and I don’t regret it at all. But looking 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’m 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 claims the Catalans should have won Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup final by much more than the final 5-2 scoreline.
“If Barça hadn’t had Wojciech Szczesny sent off, the game 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 ended up playing for almost half of the teams in Serie A. After his time at Sampdoria, he bounced back to the elite in spells with both Milan and Inter. In 2013, he was loaned to Parma, and in 2015, signed a second time for Sampdoria, 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 soccer.
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 another with Real Madrid (2006/07), even if his contribution was minimal.
Original article written by Alberto P. Sierra, translated with the assistance of AI and edited by Roddy Cons.
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