In football, some friendships are born on the field, but true ones are revealed when the match is over. Roberto Baggio and Stefano Borgonovo were teammates at Fiorentina and built a bond that remained intact even when life confronted them with a devastating illness.
Borgonovo was a prominent Italian striker who also played for teams such as Milan. In 2008, when he was 44 years old, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease that causes the progressive loss of mobility and muscle function. Over time, he ended up using a wheelchair and needed assistance with everyday activities.
Baggio, far from distancing himself, was there for him. In one of the most memorable images, he appears pushing his former teammate’s wheelchair, a simple gesture that came to represent an enormous friendship.
“As a friend and former teammate, this is the least I can do for a brother; no one knows what tomorrow will bring”, Baggio said. And he added a reflection that still moves people:
“Yesterday Stefano Borgonovo played football, and today he is in a wheelchair. I still have strength and can push him, but tomorrow I may need someone to push me. Life is unpredictable, which is why we should be kind to others”.
Borgonovo also turned his experience into a cause: together with his family, he created a foundation to support research and help people living with ALS.
Sadly, Stefano Borgonovo died on June 27, 2013, at the age of 49, after years of battling the disease.
His story left a lesson that goes far beyond sport: friendship is not only about celebrating victories together, but also about being there when the other person can no longer move forward on their own.