"I know I have no hope, but I want to live": Materazzi’s ALS battle | OneFootball

The former footballer and sports agent discusses his illness in a touching interview: "I won't save myself, but maybe I'll help others. And every night I dream of running."

"I know I have no hope, but I want to live": the courage of Matteo Materazzi in the battle against ALS

Matteo Materazzi faces ALS - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - with disarming clarity and an inner strength that moves. In a long interview given to Repubblica, the former footballer and current sports agent, 49 years old, tells with simple and direct words his daily life marked by a disease that leaves no escape, but that has not taken away his desire to fight. And to live, as long as he can.

"This disease takes something away from you every day. They have to help me do everything: go to the bathroom, get in the car, eat. I can still move my hands, but I can no longer lift my arm".

With a broken voice but a clear gaze, Materazzi connects from Sardinia, from Porto Taverna, a symbolic place full of memories for his family: "It was our meeting point, it reminds me of my mother, who was from Cagliari. I lost her when I was 13 years old to a tumor. No one explained to me that she was dying, so I wanted to tell everything to my children, Geremia and Gianfilippo. They need time to metabolize".

"With this disease, it is forbidden to hope. But I want to live" Aware that ALS leaves no room for illusions, Materazzi rejects the idea of giving up.

"With my disease, it is forbidden to hope, but I want to live, even for those who do not have the means to face this battle. Every day I think about those who cannot afford the care or the minimum assistance to live with dignity".

Materazzi looks beyond himself: he launches a fundraiser not for himself, but to contribute to research on a genetic cure that can help others, today or tomorrow. The goal? To raise 2.5 million euros to fund two research projects:

1.5 million for Columbia University, which studies the production of a specific ASO (antisense oligonucleotide) for the genetic mutation that has affected him and hundreds of other people in Italy.

1 million for a San Diego laboratory that is developing an experimental drug that could then also be produced in Italy.

"Maybe I won't be the one to benefit from these studies, but others will. That's what counts".

The support of the football world and beyond The fundraising campaign has already raised over 200,000 euros. Alongside Matteo, important names in Italian football have lined up:

Antonio Conte and his wife Elisabetta

Simone Inzaghi and his wife Gaia

Even Zlatan Ibrahimović, who met Matteo through his brother Marco, wanted to make him feel his closeness with a simple but powerful message.

"Even those who donated only five euros made a huge gesture. Everyone, in their own small way, can make a difference".

The most touching message? That of Giuseppe Pancaro, former Lazio defender, with whom there were disagreements in the past. "He went beyond. And many have done so. This struck me".

The rediscovered relationship with his brother Marco Even with his brother Marco, world champion in 2006, the relationships have not always been simple.

"We argued over nonsense. But now we are trying to make up for lost time. Marco wants to organize a charity match at the Olimpico: the Azzurri of 2006 against an All Star of great foreigners from the past. It would be an extraordinary event, not just symbolic".

"At night I dream of running" At the end of the interview, Matteo leaves one of the most intense and painful images:

"I am forbidden to have hope, but I try to live to the fullest as long as I can. And at night, in dreams, I run".

Words that encompass all his dignity, the courage to expose himself, and the desire to leave something useful to those who will come after.

How to contribute The fundraiser to finance research is active. Any contribution - small or large - can help speed up the path to a cure. Because, as Materazzi himself reminds us, "maybe my time won't be enough, but that of others will. And then it will have been worth it".

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.