Antonio Cassano revealed he piled on 14kgs at Real Madrid in seven months by eating Nutella directly from the jar

Antonio Cassano revealed how he gained 14 kilograms of weight while at Real Madrid thanks to the club’s sponsorship with Nutella.

Cassano had a colourful life off and on the pitch plying his trade at some of the top clubs around Europe, including Roma, Madrid, AC Milan and Inter Milan.

He spent two seasons between 2006 and 2008 in the Spanish capital but made just 29 appearances, scoring a mere four goals.

Cassano struggled with his weight during his time at Madrid and the club fined him for every gram he was above his playing weight.

The forward has now revealed why he struggled so much to stay in shape.

Speaking to Christian Vieri on Twitch, he said: “At Real Madrid I barely made it, I managed to lose about 12 kilos.

“Then [Fabio] Cannavaro arrived and I gained them again.

“Nutella was one of the sponsors of the club and each month they gave us five kilos of product.

“When [Fabio] Capello arrived I scored two goals in two games and I felt like the king of the world.

“After that he replaced me against Lyon, I argued with him in Jerez and took me out of the team.

“In seven months I gained 14 kilos. I ate Nutella directly from the bottle and I didn’t care. I was ashamed.”

At the peak of his powers Cassano was one of the most highly regarded players in Europe, but it was off-the-field antics that brought about the biggest headlines.

His 2010 autobiography Dico Tutto (I’ll Tell You Everything) gives you a deep insight into the maverick character he is, with one particularly crass anecdote from his time in Madrid, where he lived in a hotel, perfectly summing up his playboy lifestyle.

“I made friends with one of the waiters,” Cassano wrote in his autobiography. “His job was to bring me three or four croissants after I had sex.”

“He would bring the croissants to the stairs, I would bring the girl and we would make a trade: he took the girl; I stuffed myself with croissants. Sex plus food – the perfect night!”

The endless parties, poor eating habits – which saw him earn the nickname ‘El Gordito’  – and lack of self-discipline saw his spell at the Bernabeu descend into chaos.