Gennaro Gattuso was already a fighter on the pitch as a player. That hasn’t changed. Despite a bad handicap.
A serious eye disease troubles ex-world champion and football icon Gennaro Gattuso. As a coach at SSC Napoli, he often stands on the sidelines with an eye patch.
But what is behind it? The former Milan star has had an autoimmune disease for around ten years. This occurs in spurts and gets worse every time. Myasthenia in the right eye means that he can see twice and tire quickly because the eye muscle is not working properly. He bravely continues to train his Neapolitans.
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At the press conference after the 1-1 draw against FC Turin, the Italian spoke openly about it: “Not only does it look bad, this illness also makes you really tired. If you see twice all day, it costs you a lot of strength. Just a madman like me would go on. “
The Italian is combative: “I know that some out there already suspect that I only have one month to live. But I can assure you that everything is fine. If I ever die, I want to say goodbye where I lived, on a soccer field. “
It all began in the last few years of his playing career when he was still playing for AC Milan. Gattuso recalls: “During Milan-Lazio I realized that I would see two Ibrahimovic ‘and six Nesta. I only played with one eye for 30 minutes. Until I ended up in a duel with Alessandro (Nesta, editor’s note) as if he were an opponent. Then I understood that I couldn’t go on playing. “
