Castan: ‘Roma hid brain tumour diagnosis from me’ | OneFootball

Leandro Castan claims Roma kept his brain tumour diagnosis from him, so he learned it from social media, then Luciano Spalletti humiliated him on his return to football.

The Brazilian has spoken before about the moment his world was turned upside down in September 2014, when he pulled out of Roma’s Serie A match against Empoli at half-time because he felt unwell.

The situation deteriorated rapidly and “I felt like I was dying” by the morning.

In a new interview with the Corriere della Sera, Castan gave further shocking details of the events that followed, including the fact he wasn’t told the diagnosis.

“They sent me home after tests, the club doctor was worried, but he wouldn’t tell me what was wrong. The first 15 days were the worst, I could barely stand up, I was vomiting, I lost 20kg and had no strength.

“At the start, Roma chose to hide everything from me. I decided to isolate myself and remove social media, but one day I looked at my phone. An article on Twitter said: ‘Leandro Castan has a brain tumour, he could die.’

“The fear just washed over me. I still didn’t know what was wrong with me. Nobody had told me anything, not the club, nor the doctors. Nobody. ‘Stay calm’ was all they’d say.

“I then remembered my grandfather had died due to a brain tumour and I thought my destiny would be the same.”

Surgery saved Roma star Castan’s life

ROME, ITALY – DECEMBER 08: Leandro Castan (L) of AS Roma competes for the ball with Gonzalo Rodriguez of ACF Fiorentina during the Serie A match between AS Roma and ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Olimpico on December 8, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Castan had surgery to remove the cavernoma in his brain, but it took two years to make a full recovery from such an invasive procedure.

Yet it was the thought of going back to football that prompted him to undergo the operation.

“I had to learn to live again. I did everything I could to get back to the level I had. Everything. It just was not possible.”

Castro thanked Roma, coach Rudi Garcia, his teammates and the whole community of Italian football in this interview for staying by his side.

“They offered me the best doctors, paid my salary and renewed my contract even when I couldn’t play.”

The club also tried to help him get back to training, even though it was borderline impossible at first.

“The very first training session, they passed me the ball, I tried to stop it with the sole of my boot, I looked down at my foot and it didn’t move. I didn’t have control over my own body. I wanted to get back to being the player I was, and the fact I couldn’t was not something I could accept. It was killing me.”

REGGIO NELL’EMILIA, ITALY – JUNE 9: Luciano Spalletti head coach of Italy gestures during the FIFA 2026 Qualifier between Italy and Moldova at Mapei Stadium – Citta’ del Tricolore on June 09, 2025 in Reggio nell’Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Not all coaches were entirely sympathetic with Castan’s situation, as he painted a disheartening picture.

“Rudi Garcia protected me, he was like a second father, but it was tougher with Spalletti. Before the Hellas Verona game, he called me and said he wanted to see the old Castan. So I was in the starting XI, playing one of my worst games.

“A few days later, he called me into his office and showed me a photograph of Frosinone. ‘This is your level now, you cannot play here. You will not play with me again.’ The whole world crumbled on top of me.”

Another figure who was more reassuring for Castan was Sinisa Mihajlovic, who went on to have his own tragically fatal experience with cancer.

“At the end of every Torino training session, he’d wait with me and teach me how to kick the ball. We spent hours together. I will always carry him in my heart.”

Now Castan is 38 years old and studying to get his coaching badges in Brazil.

“I just love the smell of grass on the pitch. There is another life in football for Leandro Castan. I tried to stay away from this sport, but I just couldn’t do it.”