After years away from the club he once called home, Antonio Cassano has found his way back to Sampdoria.
Cassano has spent the last six months without a team after his deal was terminated early with Parma due to unpaid wages. This comes after the former Serie A side folded due to bankruptcy. The team has since been brought back to life and now resides in Serie D.
Igniting an old flame
The 33-year-old attacker returns to the pitch as a member of Sampdoria for the first time since 2010. He will look to put the terrible ending he had with the club behind him and just focus on playing the game he loves.
Cassano left the club on a bad note with now deceased chairman Riccardo Garrone. Cassano back in 2010 refused to attend an award ceremony much to the chairman’s displeasure. The team then refused to play Cassano but after an arbitrators final ruling on December 16, 2010, he was to be inserted back into the clubs first team by January 1, 2011. He was sold to AC Milan just days later.
Cassano spent 4 seasons with Sampdoria netting a total of 41 goals in that span.
Style of play
Cassano can definitely still play regardless of his age and he has showed it over the past few seasons. The attacker is well known for his skill with the ball at his feet. He isn’t the quickest but he can really make plays happen when he is in possession of the ball.
At the 2012 Euro Cup, Cassano played up top with Mario Balotelli and was mostly utilised as a support striker. He most notably set-up Balotelli for the first goal in the semi-finals against Germany.
The attacker however shouldn’t be taken lightly as just a distributor, he has great vision and is more than capable at putting the ball in the back of the net.
In 490 appearances excluding the Italian National team, the forward has tallied 138 goals and 94 assists.
Final Goodbye?
The attacker signed a two-year contract with Sampdoria which would end on June 30, 2017. With Cassano being 33-years-old this could very well be the players last few seasons in Serie A.
Any player would love to play forever, but at some point you have to walk away. In two years’ time, it might be time for the once young prodigy to walk away from the game forever.