Frozen out Cassano terminates contract with Sampdoria
MILAN (Reuters) - Antonio Cassano, the colourful Italian forward famous for his love of food and women, has agreed to terminate his contract with Sampdoria after being frozen out of the squad.
The 34-year-old, who was in his second stint at the club, has not played at all this season under coach Marco Giampaolo after scoring just twice in 24 outings in 2015-16.
"Sampdoria and Antonio Cassano announce they have ended the existing contract by mutual consent," the club said in a statement, adding that the player would continue to train with the youth team until he found a new club.
Italian media have reported that Cassano, a free agent, could end his career if he did not receive any offers from Serie A.
Born in the southern Italian city of Bari, Cassano's career has taken him to AS Roma, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Parma and has been marked by tantrums and personality clashes.
He has boasted about his sexual exploits and embarrassed Italy during 2012 when he said he hoped there were no homosexuals in the squad. Cassano later apologised for the remark.
His love of food, especially pastries, and women were documented in his autobiography and he has been dogged by weight problems throughout his career.
When he was at Real Madrid, coach Fabio Capello coined the term "Cassanata" (literally Cassanoism) for any act of indiscipline.
(Writing by Brian Homewood; Editing by John O'Brien)