Antonio Cassano has revealed that he had an offer to join Liverpool when he left Real Madrid during the noughties.
The Italian playboy was one of the most talented players of his generation, however, his career was littered with controversial incidents both on and off the pitch with the former striker known for his temper, poor behaviour and lack of discipline. Dubbed ‘Cassanate’ by the media and former manager Fabio Capello as a result, the ex-England manager is just one of a number of high-profile names, along with AS Roma legend Francesco Totti, that the hot-headed Cassano fell out with during his playing days.
Still highly-rated despite the scandals and controversy, he was highly-regarded enough in Italy to be nicknamed ‘Fantantonio’ and ‘El Pibe de Bari’ (The Kid from Bari in reference to the legendary Diego Maradona's own nickname, ‘El Pibe de Oro’) and was named Serie A Young Footballer of the Year in 2001 and 2003. And when caught up in a contract dispute with AS Roma, Real Madrid pounced to sign him for a cut-price €5m in January 2006.
