A Serie A icon will make a sensational return to football at the age of 82 – and he has revealed the secrets behind his incredible longevity.
Goalkeeper Lamberto Boranga, who retired back in 1983, will pull his gloves back on with seventh-tier club Trevi in October and is taking his comeback seriously.
So much so, the licensed cardiologist – and master of several other disciplines – is being trained by former Inter Milan goalkeeping coach Marco Bonaiuti.
He has kept himself in incredible shape over the decades by competing in Masters Athletics competitions, and if his appearance for Trevi wasn’t enough, he will also take part in the European Masters Athletics Championships in Portugal next month.
Boranga, who played for Fiorentina and Perugia back in his prime, told the Ansa agency of his return: ‘I will play one match in October and then we will see.
‘I have no intention of entering the locker room and commanding.
Serie A icon Lamberto Boranga will come out of retirement to play for an seventh-tier club
Boranga, who hung up his boots in 1983, is working with a coach ahead of his big return
He has put his incredible longevity down to regular exercise and eating healthily
‘In October, I will also participate in the European Masters Athletics Championships in Madeira. I always train: long jump, triple jump, pole vault, in every discipline.’
Though he does not expect to play the full 90 minutes, he is feeling optimistic and is determined to prove that age is simply a number.
He said: ‘I have good feelings, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to play the whole match.
‘I don’t want to look like a clown, if I play, of course, the coach decides. I do it to emphasise that one thing is biological age, another is what is on paper. There are days when I feel 50 years old. I train four times a week, one of which is at maximum.’
Boranga won gold medals at the World Masters Championships and European Masters Championships in both long jump and high jump.
A 5.47-metre jump in 2008 saw him take the world record for athletes older than 65, while he broke another world record just a few days before his 70th birthday, this time in the triple jump for his age group, recording a leap of 10.75 metres in 2012.
Over his combined 11 appearances at European and World events as a Masters athlete, he has won a total of 10 medals, including five golds.
But what is the secret to his shape? The answer is simple, he says.
‘A little food, but the right one; no alcohol, no smoking, very little meat. Only soy milk and physical activity, including sex. A large and balanced breakfast, a chocolate/energy bar for lunch, and a light dinner.
‘After meals, always a walk.’
