gattuso will battle with the warrior spirit to come back

t’s been a while since Rino Gattuso stepped on the pitch of the San Siro or any other pitch for that matter, as he’s suffering from a problem in his eye which prevents him from taking the field, but he can still train.

There were rumours that Gattuso will have to hang up his boots earlier than expected, but the Milan legend held a special press conference today: he talked about his condition and said he doesn’t want to retire.

“There was a time when I thought the worst, but I want to get back to playing football,” Gattuso said. “It’ll take more than this to beat me. The important thing is to not give up. I can train, but I can’t play because I have double vision. I’ll need to wait another four months before an operation can take place to resolve it.

“About 25 days ago there was the risk that I could be forced to retire. The first thing that Vice-President Adriano Galliani said to me was to not worry because the club could use me in other ways. At this time I’m not thinking about football, but about daily life. It’s horrible to not be able to drive because you see double. The important thing is to get back to normal life and to come out of this stronger than ever.”

Rino in fact played only one game for Milan this year: the opening fixture against Lazio and he was all over the place. The Rossoneri warrior now explains why: “I was advised not to play as something had already occurred four days earlier, but I wanted to and I stepped out on to the pitch with vision problems.

“I didn’t see Sandro at all,” Gattuso added on his accidental clash accidental with Nesta against Lazio. “I looked drunk for the first 20 minutes of that game, they were horrible. I saw Ibra in four different positions.”

It is unlikely that Gattuso will be back anytime soon. Doctor Tavana who was in the press conference alongside Gattuso said they turned to specialists in Italy and America but it’ll take 2-6 months for the midfielder to be able to play again. Agent Andrea D’Amico rejected the possibility of seeing Gattuso retire

A press conference at Milanello to discuss the serious problem with his left eye. The intention is to clear up doubts, although Gattuso first wants to remember his friend Marco Simoncelli, a Rossoneri fan. "It's a tragedy that really hurt me," he said, showing an AC Milan jersey bearing the name of the fallen motorcycle racer. So, after an operation by Dr. Tavana, who ruled any serious and incurable disease, and confirmed a paralysis of the sixth cranial nerve that prevents him from using his left eye, he explained his odyssey, with opening words that we have come to expect from the midfielder: "Were you expecting my retirement? It takes more than that to beat me! In these 45 days I've read everything imaginable and that's why I'm here. But there are worse things in life and the proof is what happened yesterday in Sepang." He added: "It's like I'm fighting in the dark. It's no fun seeing double but worse things can happen. The important thing is not to give up."

Rino Gattuso, 33 years old. ANSA
Rino Gattuso, 33 years old. ANSA

ibra times four — His strength is his optimism, although he's facing the problem with an extreme sense of realism: "I'm not thinking about football. I'm thinking day by day. When you can't take your children to school because you can't drive it's really horrible. I want to experience the everyday things. If I take off my glasses I see double. What gives me strength is the fact that I'm working on a physical level with consistency, obviously without the ball. This gives me the strength not to give up". Someone reminded him of the Davids case. "No, he had a different problem; for him it was the eye, and for me it's the nerve that makes the muscle move. I'll have to be patient and then there will be the surgery to adjust the degrees of the eye. In these first 45 days I was seeing triple. Now double. There's been an improvement." And he remembered. "Four days before Milan v Lazio [9 September, which ended 2-2, ed], I had told Tavana I was seeing spots. He didn't want me to play and I got angry. But he was right. In fact, in the first twenty minutes of the game – twenty minutes of hell – I realised what was happening: I saw four Ibras. The clash with Nesta was a good time to ask to come off."

evolution — Rodolfo Tavana's surgical procedure was explained further. "We turned to specialists and we kept in touch with the United States, with a neurosurgeon who speaks Italian. In Italy we turned to greater expertise in Dr. Campus, who is till treating him. The prognosis is not defined; we have to wait from 2 to 6 months to assess the evolution of this situation, which could also spontaneously return to normal. The therapy is allowing him to reduce these symptoms. Looking left, Rino tends to see double. This is the only therapy that has been proposed. As AC Milan's medical staff, it's not up to us to make these decisions. We turned to specialists."

GET WELL SOON RINO

i love him

here i was thinking it was something minor, not knowing it was this serious

get well soon rino. We still love u

Ouch. Get well soon Rino!!!!!!

Legend, he will overcome this problem no matter what. Stay strong Rino!

the full interview... :').. really touching

MILANELLO - Doctor Tavana: "Rino has a paralysis in his sixth cranial nerve, but it is not a problem with his sigh. The problem started slowly with minor pains until the day of the Lazio match when it reached its apex. Immediately we sent him to see specialists to help, to exclude the possibility of a tumour, which it wasn't, nor was it a stroke, or a degenerative neurological condition. Excluding these possibilities was the first phase, then we went back to the specialists, we were in contact with the United States who put us in touch with Miami. In Italy we went first to Fetebenefratelli at the ophthalmic institute, then Besta, then professor Bianchi in Pavia then professor Campos, one of the top experts. We need to wait for between two and six months to evaluate the change in the situation, which could return to normal on its own. Therapy is helping reduce the symptoms, although Rino sometimes sees double. We are leaving the specialists to make the decisions not the club medical staff.”

Rino Gattuso: "In these 45 days I have read all sorts, that's why we're here. Dr. Tavani has explained the problem well, now you were worried about my retirement from football. It takes more, there are worse things in life, look at yesterday Simoncelli, I'm fighting an invisible enemy, the important thing is not to give up and to look ahead. I feel the eye every morning when I wake up at this time believe me I'm not thinking about football , I'm hanging out with the newspaper, it's bad not to drive my children to school, I cannot drive a car, if I raise my glasses I see double. But I can work continuously at the physical level, I do loads of important work, it is that what is giving me the strength to not give up. For me now the most important thing is to go back to being a normal person in everyday life. Rudy and the whole club are very close to me, when you do a CAT scan or an MRI you think of your small children, I think of everything, except when we have cancer or something else I breathed a sigh of relief, Rudy told me once that he was worried and we had to get to work. Eyewear? Meanwhile the surgery is not recommended because for these things you have to wait six months, if the eye and the lens makes me see better so much the better. Davids is a different thing, he had an eye problem, I have a problem out of the eye, there is a muscle that does not work. Davids at Juventus was operated and drainage was created. Here we are talking about the nerve that moves a muscle, the situation is different. My injury does not arise from the clash with Nesta, on the contrary it is proof of the problem, I didn’t see Sandro. I wanted to play that game at all costs. I still have four months ahead of me, then there may be surgery to put it back the eye back in place. The doctors have always reassured me, and on Tuesday I will take the second injection of botulinum toxin. Before I saw triple, now double, there was an improvement. I am 34 years in January, but to me this thing makes me smile as the years pass, while there is enthusiasm ... When I'm good physically few can get the better of me and in any case, even though I'm not playing, I'm always in the dressing room. Then, of course, football is my life, it gave me fame and wealth, I consider myself very lucky. On a physical level I can do everything, of course now I do not play in the training games because of my teammates, the ball or risk of harming someone. I have had this problem for 45 days, if I wasn’t mentally strong it would get hard, you cannot send an email, you cannot watch television. I'm not a hypocrite, I feared the worst in life, not so much in football. Dr. Galliani has been good, Tavani has been good. Rudy for Van Basten, I hope he does not get angry if I say this, has compromised a marriage, that’s not happened with me, he has followed me so much, I told him jokingly I hope he doesn’t get divorced, that's how close we are. I will get back to football when things are not so serious.”

Dr. Tavani: "Twenty-five per cent of the paralysis of the sixth optic nerve does not have a known cause, we speak of a rare phenomenon, often resolved spontaneously. There are types of tumours, the most worrying, we did two tests compared with two different neuroradiologists. Often the outcome is two to six months in an independent manner."

Rino Gattuso: “I feel important in the dressing room, for all my team-mates after so many years I am a reference point, who knows me knows what my character is like, I have enthusiasm even when I sleep, that's part of who I am. If I can do something for the club, for my teammates, for the whole environment, I am here. I love the family Milan. The problem manifested itself first four days before Milan-Lazio . I remember, it was hot, I called Dr. Tavani. I told Rudy, it is two to three hours to that my sight has been hazy. We had to make an important visit on Monday, September 10, but we didn’t get there because the twenty minutes against Lazio were the worst twenty minutes of my career, I seemed to be drunk, I could see Ibrahimovic in four different positions, then the battle was the excuse to go out there. I always listen to the bad devil who tells me to go ahead and do not stop. I was lucky enough to be famous and have people available, think about all the people who do not even have the money to go to the specialist... I think of these things, I think of how lucky, there are people who are in bed for months and months with the same problem that I have, but I can also do important fitness work. My team-mates? They have been teasing me Ibra saying my eyes are straighter now Cassano, made me the verses. Playing on my problem, downplaying it was important. It was a little funny to see me cross-eyed, Cassano had fun. We found a way to have fun. I last year I made some mistakes, after 15-year career I had compromised my character, but could not avoid it. However, I listen to the people who I respect. Being true to this world is important. Simoncelli, he loved life, always had a smile, always available, and that is why Italy was weeping with incredible love yesterday. I come from a very tough battle, the club told me not to shut up like a clam, I called Tavani, also at two in the morning. Hopefully it will all come good. The important thing is that inside me, and I think really, I know there are things worse than mine. Life goes on, I have hopes and I want to come out of it stronger than before. Twenty days ago there was me, Galliani and Tavani, and we were told that there was the risk that would no longer play. I took it very well, Galliani told me not to worry, that there were other fields I could go into; this was a beautiful thing, these are the things that matter. I hope you see me as a player again, but football will remain my world, both as a player or in other areas.”

An absolute legend of our club and the Italian game. Just as I was prepared to wait for Inzaghi to return after his career threatening injury last year, I know that with Rino's strength of character, we'll see him once more.

Stay strong and keep believing.

P.S. In the mean time, teach Nocerino to slide tackle.

I really hope he will be a motivator along our coaches for years and years after he retires. Not sure if being a coach is in him, but he sure has an incredible drive to transmit onto the players!

Yesterday: MILAN - Milan's Dr Rodolfo Tavana spoke about Rino Gattuso's return to full training yesterday: "His symptoms have been improving and so he has gradually been intensifying his work load and today he trained with the squad for the first time. We are still keeping a close eye on the player and over the next few days we will conduct further tests."

he rossoneri started training at 3pm on the central pitch and the good news is that Rino Gattuso also took part along with Pato and Nesta. All three conducted aerobic exercises as well as the match at the end of the session.

Get well Genaro, a true warrior.

A.C. Milan wishes to communicates that Gennaro Gattuso suffered a nasal contusion in the course of training today.

dostoevsky wrote:A.C. Milan wishes to communicates that Gennaro Gattuso suffered a nasal contusion in the course of training today.

A little bruise never stopped Gattuso being an absolute beast before.

Gattuso scoff's at nasal contusions