Cassano: Italy snub and snubbing Juve

Antonio Cassano says he doesn’t know why he’s been dropped from the Italy squad, while he’s revealed that he rejected the chance to join Juventus – on three different occasions.

Despite a stunning start to life at Inter, the Italian international hasn’t played for the Azzurri since the Final of Euro 2012.

“I don’t know why I wasn’t called up, but I hope to be taken into consideration all the way until the end for the World Cup,” he told TV show Che Tempo Che Fa.

“The thing I find a bit irritating is that the journalists find out who gets called to the squad even before the players do.

“My start with Inter has been a good one, now I have to continue like this.”

Cassano has played for Bari, Roma, Real Madrid, Sampdoria, Milan and now Inter in his career, but links with Juventus have never turned into anything concrete.

“I refused three times to go there,” he added. “They just want soldiers there, people who only go straight on their tracks.

“Sometimes I have to go to the right, to the left, where I feel like.

“Inter boss Andrea Stramaccioni really wanted me,” he continued. “What does he like about me? I don’t know. I just hope he didn’t make the biggest mistake of his life…

“Today life is all wine and roses for me. Tomorrow, I don’t know. But I have to thank him and President Massimo Moratti who were straight shooters with me – and I’ll repay them on the pitch.”

Cassano was also at his mischievous best during the interview, touching on subjects like his friendship with Yuto Nagatomo, golf, how to get out of training and Twitter.

“We’re friends because we don’t understand anything when we talk to each other,” he smiled.

“What do we talk about? Everything, food, women. From morning to night we tell each other a thousand times what great friends we are, because we don’t have any alternatives…

“Will I start playing golf? I don’t like it. It’s a game for nerds. No offence, but you hit the ball, then you have to wait 15 minutes to hit it again. I get bored.

“The excuse that works best to get you out of training is to say that you’re having groin problems. They’ll run the tests and nothing will show up, but it’s my word against yours.

“Twitter? I don’t know how to use that or anything else…”