Antonio Cassano insists “I’m very happy, not crazy or depressed” after his retirement confusion and reveals “I could become a sporting director.”

In the second part of his candid interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Cassano named the two clubs that he could join before his self-imposed deadline of next month and asserted he had no regrets about the way he handled his exit from Verona.

Antonio Cassano insists “I’m very happy, not crazy or depressed” after his retirement confusion and reveals “I could become a sporting director.”

In the second part of his candid interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Cassano named the two clubs that he could join before his self-imposed deadline of next month and asserted he had no regrets about the way he handled his exit from Verona.

“Not playing for 474 days? It’s too many. The derby [against Genoa] on May 8 [last year] is long enough,” continued the eccentric star.

“I’ve given myself a deadline. If a call doesn’t arrive by September, I’ll retire. I don’t have an agent, so whoever wants me will know how to contact me.

“Which teams could persuade me to return? Entella or Cagliari and no-one else at the moment.

“I have a relationship with [Entella President] Gozzi that goes beyond football. There was a handshake with him in January, but then I didn’t feel like playing in Serie B. I explained that to him and he understood.

“I thank him again [for his understanding], and now I’m ready. Taking Entella into Serie A would be a dream. At Cagliari, I’d find [former fitness coach Agostino] Tibaudi: he knows how to coach me.

“That aside, I love Sardinia and its people, I go there on holiday every year. With [Cagliari President] Giulini, there’s a reciprocal esteem and affection.

“Do I regret leaving Verona? No. The spark wasn’t there. After 3-4 days, I told [Coach] Pecchia that I wanted to leave, I felt like a fish out of water.

“It wasn’t the ideal environment for me and I preferred to leave immediately and not once the campaign started.

It wasn’t a physical problem: I lost 7lbs in 15 days. Just ask Verona: the test results are there.

“At 25, I had more physical and mental strength. At 35, I just couldn’t start completely from scratch.

“At Verona, I felt an alien. But I never thought about really leaving football behind. This is my world.

“The truth about Cassano? Cassano’s a happy man. Very happy. He has his wife Carolina and two sons, Christopher and Lionel. He clings to them with a suffocating embrace, full of love.

“Does it look like that I can be depressed? My children and family come first and foremost.

“I’m neither crazy nor depressed, I’m coherent: At Verona, I didn’t feel right and so I left.

“I never pretended to give moral lessons to youngsters, but I’ll be remembered as a great player, I’m sure. And then…

“What I’ll do once I retire? I’ll remain in the football world and I could become a sporting director.”

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