13:24h CEST

Antonio Cassano has announced that he will finally hang up his boots after backtracking on his decision to retire just last week after signing a deal with Hellas Verona.

The former Real Madrid, Inter, Milan, Sampdoria and Roma striker joined the Serie A strugglers as a free agent but called a press conference to lay out his decision to retire from professional football after a career spanning almost two decades. However, the former Italy international had a change of heart and stated that he would honour his contract with Hellas Verona for the 2017-18 season, saying he was ready for the “last miracle of my career.”

Sky Italia: Cassano decides to call it a day

On Monday, Cassano performed another turn worthy of his pomp in the box with Sky Italia reporting that he had informed his club that he would, definitively, be calling it a day after all. Cassano explained that being apart from his family was proving too much and he did not feel he could offer Hellas the performance levels they expected following almost a year out of the game after being frozen out during his final season at Sampdoria.

And so it appears that the striker, who bagged 141 club goals and provided 109 assists during his career, has left the sport behind for good, barring another volte face.