Totti: “Cassano massacred his companions”

Francesco Totti, in an interview in the Líbero magazine, remembers the most talented footballer with whom he has shared costumes: he talks about Antonio Cassano and his years in Rome.

“He is a younger brother. He came to Rome for me, because he said that I was his idol. I was Juve, who loved him, but he chose Rome. He wanted to play with me, he was in love with my football. He did not have an easy childhood, so when he arrived in Rome I took him home with my parents. Cassano is good, honest, a cheerful guy, although sometimes he got into some trouble. Look at his stage in Madrid. I tried to raise him as I knew, because technically it was not necessary. He was without a doubt one of the best in the world. Technically the best, perhaps. Different. He also had enormous physical strength. I found myself wonderfully at his side. I remember that Capello played without born ends, he put us both up, in continuous movement. We made three or four goals per game. We lost that championship unfortunately, but people fell in love with our way of playing.

Difficult personality: “He was a very changeable person, easily influenced. We argued, we went months without even talking to each other.”

I treat colleagues: “He didn't tease them. He massacred them directly, which is something different. Except for me, Batistuta or Samuel, he massacred the others. Zebina, Delvecchio, Tommasi … When they missed a pass, he said:” I was a pippone ” (You are a package.) 'Go work at the pharmacy.' He made you understand what personality he had. He was young and he faced 30-year-olds. It is true that he was wrong, because you have to always respect him … but we knew him and We already knew what it was like. We simply accepted it. Sometimes it was even exaggerated, because it had no limits, filters, brakes. When it started, it didn't end. “

Also with Capello?: “Of course they have. They have argued millions of times. They were chasing each other in the middle of training camp. I have seen incredible scenes, but Fabio loved him because he knew he was a phenomenon. Capello wanted good players, with character, and Cassano was. At Madrid he always wanted talented players, he liked Seedorf, Roberto Carlos and he convinced himself with Redondo. Fabio Capello liked talent. “