what am I doing here?»- Corriere.it

what am I doing here?»- Corriere.it


Of Monica Colombo

Alberto Zaccheroni speaks for the first time of the accident last February: «I have a problem with short-term memory. I have resumed watching the matches on TV, I want to start again"

«My wife Fulvia found me slumped on the ground, at the bottom of the stairs. She says I was in a pool of blood, with my head open and one eye out of its socket. I'm alive by a miracle, but I don't remember anything about the month in intensive care ».Alberto Zaccheroni

the coach who led both the Milan and Turin teams, before managing the national teams of Japan and the United Arab Emirates, speaks for the first time of the head injury sustained in the domestic accident on 10 February last.

What do you remember about that Friday afternoon?

«Nothing, I only know what my wife told me who was with me at home in Cesenatico. She was on the ground floor, I was probably going down the stairs and slipped. I tumbled eight to ten steps. She ran because she heard my screams. I had hit my head, you can imagine how frightened you were.'

Were you able to reconstruct the reason for the fall?

"Since there was the dog of Luca, my son, it is thought that I had her in my arms and I leaned forward to protect her from the thud".

So you can't even recall the later moments?

"Hand. Fulvia called 118, they rushed me to the Bufalini hospital in Cesena where I was hospitalized in intensive care. They sedated me, I wasn't alert."

Was he operated on the next day?

“An operation was needed to reduce the bleeding. I have a big scar on my head to remind me of that. They had intubated me, I had a tube».

What is the first image you remember when you wake up from a coma?

“Only the medical staff were in the room, no family members were admitted. I sit down and look at my legs: after a month lying in bed, they looked like those of an elderly person. 'Where have my muscles gone?' I asked incredulously."

Do you consider yourself lucky for what happened to you?

«I risked my life, let's not beat around the bush. The blow was tremendous, the great relief is not having suffered brain damage ».

After a month of hospitalization, March 10 begins to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

«That day I was transferred to the Marconi hospital in Cesenatico for rehabilitation. I did physiotherapy, worked with speech therapists. I have to thank the doctors and all the staff of the two institutes who followed me. They have been extraordinary. We often take their work for granted but if I walk while talking to her, I have to give credit to the doctors."

What patient was it?

«I was discharged on April 22, I waited a few days and then I went to greet the Bufalini staff. I didn't even recognize the hospital. I said to Fulvia "but what place is it?". The nurses told me that I was defiant, flailing and tearing my tubes."

Did you celebrate a non-trivial birthday as a patient?

«Yes, on April 1 I turned 70, a round figure. I am aware that I risked not getting there alive. I wasn't thinking about turning 70 that day, I was focused on recovery."

How is he now?

“I lost two diopters from my eye, the lesser evil considering the initial damage. I don't have a license because before I can get it back I will have to take tests and I have some short-term memory deficits ».

How are his days?

«I want to take back my life, I have to be able to get back into possession of everyday life. If walking was once a hobby, now it's a necessity. Yesterday I ran 10 kilometres, I'm working hard to regain muscle tone».

In these days of devastation in Romagna, has Cesenatico been damaged?

«Big no, even if the storm ate part of the coast. My son has a bathing establishment and therefore the problem affects us closely ».

Will Emilia Romagna be able to get up again this time?

“We are genetically hardworking people, we will recover. Although it will be necessary to find a solution to the fact that the flow of water has not encountered any obstacles. Do you know what struck me? The civil conscience of the boys. Many have made themselves available, as volunteers, to help ».

Do you miss football?

"I've started watching matches on TV again. I should have been on the bench for the next match for the Italian national team No profit of which I have been coach since last year, but I preferred to postpone until I've fully recovered. I will also resume the technical meetings of Fifa ».

How many chances does Inter have of winning the Champions League?

«If we were talking about a tournament in its entirety, the dry prediction says Manchester City. But in a single match Inter can play it. If Inzaghi's team remains tough and compact, with the players of personality it has, anything can happen».

Has this experience changed your relationship with religion?

«No, my family gave me the strength who never left me for a moment and the doctors who created a masterpiece».

May 26, 2023 (change May 26, 2023 | 07:19)



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