Tribute to Stefano Borgonovo, thirteen years after his death
By OnzeActu · · 3 min read
Stefano Borgonovo, former Fiorentina and AC Milan player, died on June 27, 2013 after a long battle with ALS. His career and his fight continue to inspire and have raised awareness about neurodegenerative diseases among athletes.
Stefano Borgonovo, who died on June 27, 2013 at just 49 years old, embodies one of the most poignant and memorable stories in Italian football. A striker with a modern and refined style, his thirty-year career on the pitch gave way to a courageous battle against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a devastating neurodegenerative disease.
Trained in the youth sector of Como, Borgonovo started in Serie A at the age of 17 in 1982. Quickly recognized for his impeccable positioning and his elegance in his movements, he fully revealed himself at Fiorentina during the 1988-1989 season. This is where the famous duo nicknamed “B2” was born, composed of Borgonovo and a young Roberto Baggio. The striker scored 14 league goals, forming a brotherly friendship with Baggio that would last throughout their lives.
The remarkable performances in Florence attracted Arrigo Sacchi's AC Milan, who brought him back for the following season. Under the Rossonero jersey, Borgonovo won the Champions Cup in 1990, notably scoring with a memorable lob in the semi-final return against Bayern Munich during extra time. After Milan, he continued his career with Pescara, Udinese and Brescia before ending his career in 1996.
The drama began in 2005 when his first motor problems appeared. The official diagnosis came in 2008: he had ALS. True to his combative character, Borgonovo refuses to hide. He publicly nicknamed the disease "the Bitch" and decided to use his notoriety to raise public awareness of this little-known disease, which alarmingly affects several former professional footballers.
Image
During a historic charity match at the Artemio Franchi stadium in Florence on September 21, 2008, between Fiorentina and Milan, Borgonovo made a symbolic entrance in a wheelchair, pushed by his faithful friend Baggio, greeting the crowd with the movement of his eyes, the only part of his body still active.
With his wife Chantal, pillar of his fight, he founded the Stefano Borgonovo Onlus Foundation. This structure aims to finance medical research to find a treatment and to support the families of ALS patients facing the heavy costs of home assistance.
Using a computer controlled by eye movements, Borgonovo wrote his autobiography “Attaccante nato” and continued to deliver hard-hitting analyzes in the sports press while calling on football authorities to step up medical checks and protection of players.
His disappearance, which occurred during the 2013 Confederations Cup, where the Italian team played with a black armband in his honor, did not interrupt the fight. His suffering led to epidemiological studies by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and sports medicine on the links between high-level football, certain medications and neurodegenerative diseases.
Today, the Borgonovo Foundation remains a major player in the international fight against motor neurone diseases. The “Un gol per Borgonovo” event, organized in Castiglioncello, symbolizes the generosity of Italian football. Initiated while Stefano was still alive, this annual meeting supports research against ALS and bears witness to the indelible legacy of this extraordinary player.