Cassano: ‘I'd spend €500 on food!’

By Football Italia staff

Antonio Cassano reflects on his Real Madrid days - “I’d spend what I wanted on having food sent to my room.”

The Sampdoria striker joined Los Merengues in 2005, but failed to make an impact due to his off-field antics - mainly a love of food and women.

“I started well, scoring on my debut, but when you go to Madrid, you can do two things: be with your family, focused, or be a fool,” Cassano explained, speaking to AS.

“I did the second thing, be the fool, but I had a perfect time. I didn’t think I was at the greatest team ever. Only a fool could have played the way I did at Madrid.

“Did I have a good time? It was perfect! It was the best thing, until February 2, 2008, when I met my current wife. But until 2008, yes.

“When you’re 20 years old and like girls, you have a desire to do it every day. And I had that chance.

“Was it the sex that limited my playing time? No. I didn’t play because I was 10 kilos overweight, it’s as simple as that.

“I was 93kg [when he joined Madrid]. My ideal weight is 83. To give you an idea, I started this season at Sampdoria at 95kg.

“I had a friend [at the hotel he lived at], and at 10 [in the evening], I’d spend what I wanted on having food sent to my room.

“I’d give her €200 or €500. The downside was that she wasn’t there when we played away!”

Fabio Capello revealed recently that the pair came to blows at Roma, and Cassano admits the relationship was similar in Madrid.

“Everyone says it was because I used to mimic him, but it wasn’t true.

“I fought with him in Xerez. We won 3-1 and he made me and Ronaldo warm up for 45 minutes. I was beside [Capello] and we almost came to blows.

“He was right then and still is. Capello got the better of me.

“I had a season with him at Roma and scored 23 goals. Why? Because he always had a hammer behind me.”

For more on this story, and other Spanish football news, visit our sister site Football Espana.

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