Cassano believes he could have had a career like Lionel Messi. | Photo Credit: AP

Italian striker Antonio Cassano played for some of the biggest clubs in the world like Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter and Roma. He was often labelled as one of the most naturally gifted and creative players in the world. He broke out at Italian club Bari where he was called “the jewel of Old Bari". He made his name at Rome where he scored 39 goals at Stadio Olimpico. His transfer to Real Madrid earned him the superstar status.

There were two things that always went against Cassano and those were his anger and lifestyle. He was hailed for his skills but was criticised for his behaviour and attitude. Eventually, he couldn't manage to reach the heights that were expected and changed numerous clubs due to disputes.

(Antonio Cassano while playing for Sampdoria. Photo credit- AP)

He confirmed his retirement in October 2018 and has always been critical of his career. His last club was Verona and he did not play even a single game for them. Cassano has always maintained that his attitude wasn’t correct in his playing days and he was an underachiever in football. The 36-year-old has now said that he could have had a career like five-time Ballon d’Or winner and one of the greatest ever Lionel Messi, had he taken football seriously in his life

"If I had done what I should have done over the course of 15 years, I would have been like Messi.” Casson told Sky Italia.

Cassano went on to reveal that Roma legend Francesco Totti had said that he only played at 50 per cent of what he was capable of doing.

"Like [former Roma teammate Francisco] Totti said a while ago, I only did 50 percent of what I was capable of doing. I was a disaster area sometimes and I hated training.

"I played in some of the strongest sides in the world, I can’t say that I wasn’t happy or lucky. I even knew that if I screwed up I’d get another chance somewhere else.” Cassano was right as he went on to represent 10 clubs in his career despite having disputes with most of them. He even managed 39 caps for his national side.

Cassano mainly played as a playmaker or as a supporting forward in his career. He managed to score 141 goals and registered 109 assists in 514 games throughout his club career.

