Former professional football (Soccer) player. He played as striker for Italian teams AC Milan, ACF Fiorentina, Pescara, Udinese and Brescia. He was victim of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that afflicts dozens of players in Italian "A Series" in recent years, and made his illness public in September 2008 and has since lived paralyzed by a disease that causes progressive destruction of nerve cells. Thus, despite maintaining full alertness during his last months could only move the pupils. He wrote his own autobiography called "Born striker", despite only to be able to make use of his eyes to control a computer to write it. He was awarded several distinctions as: Ambrogino d'Oro, Milan 2008; Abbondino d'oro, Como 2009 and Fiorino d'oro, Florence 2010, the highest award of civic merit honor for a non Florentine citizen. The Stefano Borgonovo Foundation was created for him in 2008, with the goal of helping the 350,000 ALS sufferers worldwide.
∼Stefano Borgonovo was an Italian footballer who played as a striker.
Born in Giussano, Province of Monza and Brianza, Lombardy, Borgonovo began his professional career with Como Calcio, making his debuts at 17 in a Serie A match against Ascoli Calcio. After a loan spell at S.S. Sambenedettese Calcio he established himself as a key player, and in 1986 moved to A.C. Milan, who immediately loaned him back to Como.
After two years Borgonovo was sent on loan again, this time to ACF Fiorentina, where had the most successful season of his career, scoring 14 league goals while playing alongside Roberto Baggio. This earned him three caps for Italy – his debut coming on 22 February 1989, in a friendly with Denmark (1–0 win)– and finally a chance to prove himself at Milan.
He spent much of the 1989–90 campaign as backup to Marco van Basten and, despite earning a European Cup winners' medal, moved on, keen to play regular first-team football; although Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi was keen to keep his services, he returned to Fiorentina, where he spent two years without managing to recapture his previous form.
Spells at Pescara Calcio, Udinese and Brescia Calcio followed, before Borgonovo retired in 1996. He later served as a youth coach back at Como, but retired in 2005 due to poor health.
Borgonovo married Chantal, and the couple had four children. On 5 September 2008, it was revealed he was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the same illness that slowly killed Gianluca Signorini, another former Serie A player, in 2002.
To raise funds and awareness of the disease, Borgonovo started his own foundation and a testimonial match was organized by his former clubs Fiorentina and Milan. The game, played on 8 October 2008 at Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence in front of a crowd of 30,000 people, was attended by several former stars of the two clubs – he himself attended despite his serious condition, with former teammate Baggio at his side.
In his 2010 autobiography Carlo Ancelotti: The Beautiful Games of an Ordinary Genius: The Life, Games, and Miracles of an Ordinary Genius[5] Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancelotti, spoke of his former team-mate's illness, saying: 'Stefano was my team-mate, and he has a problem. We need everyone to help him because maybe there is a solution for this illness, but we have to be fast because his condition is not good. He cannot move, he can just speak with his eyes. He scored in the semi-final of the European Cup in 1990 against Bayern, and was a good striker inside the box. He was not so quick but very clever. He is a good guy, very funny, likes to joke, even now, but he has a very dangerous illness.
Incredibly, Borgonovo managed to write his own autobiography called 'Attacante nato' (Born striker), despite only to be able to make use of his eyes to control a computer to write it.
In the book, amongst other things, he talked about his stance against drugs, saying: 'My carcass is clean and always has been. The Bitch may have moved in, but it's not tainted with rust and it's never been doped. There's a shadow hanging over my photograph, but it was invented by others, ruthless hypocrites. They used to weigh up the symptoms and then kept on whispering: Borgonovo's on drugs, you know.'
In 2013, Borgonovo joined FIFA's anti-doping fight.
He died from the disease aged 49.(from Wikipedia)
∼Stefano Borgonovo was an Italian footballer who played as a striker.
Born in Giussano, Province of Monza and Brianza, Lombardy, Borgonovo began his professional career with Como Calcio, making his debuts at 17 in a Serie A match against Ascoli Calcio. After a loan spell at S.S. Sambenedettese Calcio he established himself as a key player, and in 1986 moved to A.C. Milan, who immediately loaned him back to Como.
After two years Borgonovo was sent on loan again, this time to ACF Fiorentina, where had the most successful season of his career, scoring 14 league goals while playing alongside Roberto Baggio. This earned him three caps for Italy – his debut coming on 22 February 1989, in a friendly with Denmark (1–0 win)– and finally a chance to prove himself at Milan.
He spent much of the 1989–90 campaign as backup to Marco van Basten and, despite earning a European Cup winners' medal, moved on, keen to play regular first-team football; although Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi was keen to keep his services, he returned to Fiorentina, where he spent two years without managing to recapture his previous form.
Spells at Pescara Calcio, Udinese and Brescia Calcio followed, before Borgonovo retired in 1996. He later served as a youth coach back at Como, but retired in 2005 due to poor health.
Borgonovo married Chantal, and the couple had four children. On 5 September 2008, it was revealed he was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the same illness that slowly killed Gianluca Signorini, another former Serie A player, in 2002.
To raise funds and awareness of the disease, Borgonovo started his own foundation and a testimonial match was organized by his former clubs Fiorentina and Milan. The game, played on 8 October 2008 at Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence in front of a crowd of 30,000 people, was attended by several former stars of the two clubs – he himself attended despite his serious condition, with former teammate Baggio at his side.
In his 2010 autobiography Carlo Ancelotti: The Beautiful Games of an Ordinary Genius: The Life, Games, and Miracles of an Ordinary Genius[5] Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancelotti, spoke of his former team-mate's illness, saying: 'Stefano was my team-mate, and he has a problem. We need everyone to help him because maybe there is a solution for this illness, but we have to be fast because his condition is not good. He cannot move, he can just speak with his eyes. He scored in the semi-final of the European Cup in 1990 against Bayern, and was a good striker inside the box. He was not so quick but very clever. He is a good guy, very funny, likes to joke, even now, but he has a very dangerous illness.
Incredibly, Borgonovo managed to write his own autobiography called 'Attacante nato' (Born striker), despite only to be able to make use of his eyes to control a computer to write it.
In the book, amongst other things, he talked about his stance against drugs, saying: 'My carcass is clean and always has been. The Bitch may have moved in, but it's not tainted with rust and it's never been doped. There's a shadow hanging over my photograph, but it was invented by others, ruthless hypocrites. They used to weigh up the symptoms and then kept on whispering: Borgonovo's on drugs, you know.'
In 2013, Borgonovo joined FIFA's anti-doping fight.
He died from the disease aged 49.(from Wikipedia)
Former professional football (Soccer) player. He played as striker for Italian teams AC Milan, ACF Fiorentina, Pescara, Udinese and Brescia. He was victim of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that afflicts dozens of players in Italian "A Series" in recent years, and made his illness public in September 2008 and has since lived paralyzed by a disease that causes progressive destruction of nerve cells. Thus, despite maintaining full alertness during his last months could only move the pupils. He wrote his own autobiography called "Born striker", despite only to be able to make use of his eyes to control a computer to write it. He was awarded several distinctions as: Ambrogino d'Oro, Milan 2008; Abbondino d'oro, Como 2009 and Fiorino d'oro, Florence 2010, the highest award of civic merit honor for a non Florentine citizen. The Stefano Borgonovo Foundation was created for him in 2008, with the goal of helping the 350,000 ALS sufferers worldwide.
∼Stefano Borgonovo was an Italian footballer who played as a striker.
Born in Giussano, Province of Monza and Brianza, Lombardy, Borgonovo began his professional career with Como Calcio, making his debuts at 17 in a Serie A match against Ascoli Calcio. After a loan spell at S.S. Sambenedettese Calcio he established himself as a key player, and in 1986 moved to A.C. Milan, who immediately loaned him back to Como.
After two years Borgonovo was sent on loan again, this time to ACF Fiorentina, where had the most successful season of his career, scoring 14 league goals while playing alongside Roberto Baggio. This earned him three caps for Italy – his debut coming on 22 February 1989, in a friendly with Denmark (1–0 win)– and finally a chance to prove himself at Milan.
He spent much of the 1989–90 campaign as backup to Marco van Basten and, despite earning a European Cup winners' medal, moved on, keen to play regular first-team football; although Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi was keen to keep his services, he returned to Fiorentina, where he spent two years without managing to recapture his previous form.
Spells at Pescara Calcio, Udinese and Brescia Calcio followed, before Borgonovo retired in 1996. He later served as a youth coach back at Como, but retired in 2005 due to poor health.
Borgonovo married Chantal, and the couple had four children. On 5 September 2008, it was revealed he was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the same illness that slowly killed Gianluca Signorini, another former Serie A player, in 2002.
To raise funds and awareness of the disease, Borgonovo started his own foundation and a testimonial match was organized by his former clubs Fiorentina and Milan. The game, played on 8 October 2008 at Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence in front of a crowd of 30,000 people, was attended by several former stars of the two clubs – he himself attended despite his serious condition, with former teammate Baggio at his side.
In his 2010 autobiography Carlo Ancelotti: The Beautiful Games of an Ordinary Genius: The Life, Games, and Miracles of an Ordinary Genius[5] Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancelotti, spoke of his former team-mate's illness, saying: 'Stefano was my team-mate, and he has a problem. We need everyone to help him because maybe there is a solution for this illness, but we have to be fast because his condition is not good. He cannot move, he can just speak with his eyes. He scored in the semi-final of the European Cup in 1990 against Bayern, and was a good striker inside the box. He was not so quick but very clever. He is a good guy, very funny, likes to joke, even now, but he has a very dangerous illness.
Incredibly, Borgonovo managed to write his own autobiography called 'Attacante nato' (Born striker), despite only to be able to make use of his eyes to control a computer to write it.
In the book, amongst other things, he talked about his stance against drugs, saying: 'My carcass is clean and always has been. The Bitch may have moved in, but it's not tainted with rust and it's never been doped. There's a shadow hanging over my photograph, but it was invented by others, ruthless hypocrites. They used to weigh up the symptoms and then kept on whispering: Borgonovo's on drugs, you know.'
In 2013, Borgonovo joined FIFA's anti-doping fight.
He died from the disease aged 49.(from Wikipedia)
∼Stefano Borgonovo was an Italian footballer who played as a striker.
Born in Giussano, Province of Monza and Brianza, Lombardy, Borgonovo began his professional career with Como Calcio, making his debuts at 17 in a Serie A match against Ascoli Calcio. After a loan spell at S.S. Sambenedettese Calcio he established himself as a key player, and in 1986 moved to A.C. Milan, who immediately loaned him back to Como.
After two years Borgonovo was sent on loan again, this time to ACF Fiorentina, where had the most successful season of his career, scoring 14 league goals while playing alongside Roberto Baggio. This earned him three caps for Italy – his debut coming on 22 February 1989, in a friendly with Denmark (1–0 win)– and finally a chance to prove himself at Milan.
He spent much of the 1989–90 campaign as backup to Marco van Basten and, despite earning a European Cup winners' medal, moved on, keen to play regular first-team football; although Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi was keen to keep his services, he returned to Fiorentina, where he spent two years without managing to recapture his previous form.
Spells at Pescara Calcio, Udinese and Brescia Calcio followed, before Borgonovo retired in 1996. He later served as a youth coach back at Como, but retired in 2005 due to poor health.
Borgonovo married Chantal, and the couple had four children. On 5 September 2008, it was revealed he was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the same illness that slowly killed Gianluca Signorini, another former Serie A player, in 2002.
To raise funds and awareness of the disease, Borgonovo started his own foundation and a testimonial match was organized by his former clubs Fiorentina and Milan. The game, played on 8 October 2008 at Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence in front of a crowd of 30,000 people, was attended by several former stars of the two clubs – he himself attended despite his serious condition, with former teammate Baggio at his side.
In his 2010 autobiography Carlo Ancelotti: The Beautiful Games of an Ordinary Genius: The Life, Games, and Miracles of an Ordinary Genius[5] Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancelotti, spoke of his former team-mate's illness, saying: 'Stefano was my team-mate, and he has a problem. We need everyone to help him because maybe there is a solution for this illness, but we have to be fast because his condition is not good. He cannot move, he can just speak with his eyes. He scored in the semi-final of the European Cup in 1990 against Bayern, and was a good striker inside the box. He was not so quick but very clever. He is a good guy, very funny, likes to joke, even now, but he has a very dangerous illness.
Incredibly, Borgonovo managed to write his own autobiography called 'Attacante nato' (Born striker), despite only to be able to make use of his eyes to control a computer to write it.
In the book, amongst other things, he talked about his stance against drugs, saying: 'My carcass is clean and always has been. The Bitch may have moved in, but it's not tainted with rust and it's never been doped. There's a shadow hanging over my photograph, but it was invented by others, ruthless hypocrites. They used to weigh up the symptoms and then kept on whispering: Borgonovo's on drugs, you know.'
In 2013, Borgonovo joined FIFA's anti-doping fight.
He died from the disease aged 49.(from Wikipedia)
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