Antonio Cassano admits he is contemplating retiring from the game after walking away from Parma on Monday.
Cassano, 32, agreed on an immediate termination of his contract with the Serie A strugglers on Monday after complaining about unpaid wages.
Parma Fc e Antonio Cassano: rescissione consensuale del contratto. Il comunicato http://t.co/NPxiNv3Ura
- Parma F.C. (@ParmaFC) January 26, 2015
The Italian forward's real gripe is not the estimated four million euros the Emilia-Romagna club owe him, though, as he explained to Mediaset television on Monday night.
"They've been taking the p--- out of me for seven months so I just decided enough is enough," Cassano said, suggesting that the experience of the last half a year has taken away his appetite for the game.
"If I don't find another club by June, I might give up with football altogether," added the 32-year-old, who was part of the Azzurri's 2014 World Cup squad.
"I've left Parma and I'm feeling better already. I spent the whole night thinking about it. I'm tired and I had to leave. I've got nothing against the Parma fans, my teammates and those who I have been working with, but with those who have made a disaster out of Parma after we had made it so perfect.
"I'm even going without four million euros, but it's not about the money. The worse thing is there are people who are on far less than me and they've not been paid a single euro for the past seven months.
"They keep telling us over and over again that we'll be paid tomorrow, repeating the same thing day after day. I'd had enough. I couldn't take it any longer. It was an agonising, unbearable situation."
Cassano should not have any trouble finding a new employer, although he will take his time to assess his options after his stay in Parma ended with a face-to-face confrontation with an angry fan following the weekend's 2-1 defeat at home to Cesena, a result which left the Gialloblu rooted to the foot of Serie A.
"Let's just see what happens next," he said. "It's true that I would like to return to Sampdoria one day, but not now -- that would be ridiculous. I just want to take a few days of holiday now and relax after all this agony, but I would have no problem leaving this world, a world which has disappointed me a bit in recent times.
"I'm just tired of it all. My dignity is more important than money, and I've not done it because I have other options. My agent has offered me a move to the U.S., but I'll go to the States or Dubai when I'm 40 and I can't run any more. Now we'll just have to see what happens between now and June."
A return to his home town club Bari has also been muted, but Cassano, who underwent heart surgery in 2011 when it was feared he might never play again, will first try to overcome the disappointment of how his adventure with Parma ended and enjoy life as a free agent.