Igor Protti shakes the football world, the tragic announcement: "I'm sick"

A message that freezes the heart. And makes the world of sport rally around this football champion.

Igor Protti and the football world in shock: the announcement that no one wanted to read

All it took was a post. A handful of lines. And silence. Igor Protti , one of the real ones — those who play football not only with their feet, but also with their heart — chose to speak like this.

On Instagram. “I have been found a most unwelcome guest,” he writes. And in that adjective, so kind for something that is not kind, there is pain and dignity. He has already undergone an operation . And now a difficult path awaits him, made up of therapies, waiting, perhaps another operation. But Protti, who in his career has scored 231 goals and has taken who knows how many from defenders, promises to fight. Like on the pitch. Like always. “It’s a very tough match,” he says, “but I’ll give it my all.”

Next to him, his family. The blood family. And the one he built over the years: teammates, friends, fans, strangers. People who loved him without ever really knowing him. Because football , Igor Protti, made him human. Even now that his life seems to be becoming a film, or rather it really is: a documentary film, in progress, to tell what he was. The Tsar. The romantic hero. The bomber who scored even when his team was relegated.

Football's affection for Igor Protti, between messages and full silences

And then there are them. His former teammates, his colleagues, the world champions. People who lived football with him. Amoruso writes to him: “You’re not the type to give up”. Amelia comments with a “Daje Bomber” that sounds more like a prayer. Ventola, Materazzi, Volandri, Ulissi: all there, one after the other, as if a “come on” was enough to close ranks and take the field with him. Even if the field is different now.

Igor Protti apologized in advance, if he won't be able to answer everyone. But it doesn't matter. His post has already said it all. Fragile, yes. But also full of that strength that only those who have known true fatigue can tell. And maybe, this time too, he will score. Even if we won't see the goal.