Francesco Acerbi lives the best stage in his life as a footballer. He was close to leaving the high performance sport after suffering twice cancer and overcoming other obstacles, and now, at 37 years of age, he is a finalist of the Champions League with the Inter from Italy.
Minute 93 of the game, his team is losing 3-2 at the San Siro stadium against the talented youth of Barcelona.
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On television, the Catalans were already focused on the celebration of the passage to the last instance of the maximum club contest of Europe and the ‘Tifosi’ crying in the stands.
But Acerbi stopped tears of helplessness for moments of happiness and expectation.
Overturned to attack as a desperate crazy, after the new jewel of Barcelona and world football, Lamine Lamine, crashed a stick ball, which would have sealed the ticket to the final of the Spanish painting, Acerbi, with an exquisite definition, to the front, after assistance of another defender, Denzel Dumfries, scored the tie and sent the ball to the bottom of the network and the game to the extension, in which After an annotation of his partner Davide Frattesi, Inter, at 99 ‘, won the 4-2 game for the incredible classification. It was Acerbi’s first goal in Europe.
In the midst of the celebrations, the cameras in San Siro focused, among many, Acerbi, a player who remains in the high competition of Milagro.
-And it was not for less, because the athlete has gone through complicated moments in his career, however he remains standing, being synonymous with overcoming.
In the 2012/2013 season, in the midst of questions about its low performance and when it was enlisted to move from AC Milan to Sassuolo, a tumor was diagnosed in the testicles. He overcame the disease, but soon, it reappeared; However, thanks to his talent, help from colleagues and family, he took strength to continue battling.
“Cancer was my luck. When I learned, I could only think about all the opportunities I wasted in the football years due to excesses. I decided that I wanted to compensate for everything I lost. If it had not been for that, I would probably be playing in the Second Division, or my career had already finished,” said the athlete at the time, in a talk with the magazine L’The uome, in which he confessed at the same time.
“Before I did not respect myself, neither my work nor the people who paid me my salary. I had to appear drunk in the training after leaving at night. I was at my best physical moment and I only had to sleep a few hours and then go out to the grass. He just wanted to have fun, I did not want to know anything about the rest,” added the player, who at the same time had to overcome depression for the death of his father.
Years later, focused on his professional career he saw the fruits to his effort to achieve the Cup and the Italy Super Cup with Lazio, in 2019. In addition, he was called to the selection of his country in 2020 and won the Eurocup.
Then, with Inter, which he arrived in 2022, followed his triumphal stage. That year he won the Italian Super Cup, in 2023 he lifted his country’s cup and supercopa and in 2024 the A.
Now, thanks to his leadership, efficacy in defense and goals, he saved Inter in the Champions League. But also thanks to his will he was saved from getting lost for football. Today the world enjoys their abilities, those that have their team near European glory.
