- The 48-year-old has admitted that he should have acted sooner on the problem
- Former player won the World Cup with Italy in 2006 after beating France in Berlin
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Is it fair for Man United or Tottenham to go straight into the Champions League if they win the Europa League?
A former World Cup winner has opened up on the impact of a rare genetic condition on his life eleven years after he called time on his heavily decorated career.
Gianluca Zambrotta claimed football’s chief honour with Italy in 2006, and enjoyed a club career with top sides including Barcelona, Juventus, and AC Milan.
He retired in 2014, on the heels of being appointed player-manager at Swiss side Chiasso.
Zambrotta was not plagued with major injuries during his impressive playing career, but revealed in a recent interview that since retirement, his health has gone into significant decline due to an aggressive condition.
The 48-year-old suffers from genu varum, a condition which is often referred to as bow legs.
The condition can make sufferers’ legs curve outward at the knees while the feet and ankles touch.
While often correctable in children, Zambrotta shared that his prognosis is more serious, with the former full back forced to consider the need for prosthetics in the future.
Italy full back Gianluca Zambrotta (centre) has opened up on his rare genetic condition
The 48-year-old appeared on a podcast to describe the challenges of living with bow legs
‘Over time, my legs have become bowed,’ Zambrotta said on Italian presenter Gianluca Gazzoli’s BSMT podcast.
‘During my career, I didn’t have any major injuries. I’ve had three operations on my internal menisci (however) – currently, I don’t have them on either the left or the right, so over time, my legs have become bowed and today, I’m a laboratory model for many surgeons.
The former AC Milan star added that ‘doctors look at (him) and ask (him) how (he walks).’
‘In a few years, I will have to wear a full prosthesis,’ he added.
Zambrotta made over 200 appearances for Juventus during his heyday, earning himself a move to the Camp Nou, but now struggles to even play recreational padel tennis.
The issue in part, he admitted, has been exacerbated by being too slow to take action on his physical decline.
‘The problem has worsened over time, due to both some genetic exposure and the lack of internal menisci,’ he continued.
‘And so perhaps I should have started working on it earlier.
‘I will soon have surgery on both knees. I have visited three or four leading surgeons nationwide, and they can’t explain to me how I can have these knees or how I can engage in physical activities like padel tennis, for example.’
Zambrotta admits that he might have been able to mitigate his circumstances had he acted on the condition earlier
The former player won the World Cup with Italy in 2006 and was named to the Team of the Tournament for his showing in Germany
Zambrotta also shed light on the surgery he is set to undergo, adding: ‘I’ll have to have an osteotomy.
‘Basically, they’ll straighten my legs by cutting small pieces of bone above and below and inserting plates to try to avoid having to get a full prosthesis now, although I’ll have to get one in a few years.’
After stepping back from playing professionally, Zambrotta took on coaching roles at Delhi Dynamos and Jiangsu Suning.
The former player now stars as a pundit in his native country.
