Simone Muratore was one of the brightest starlets in the Juventus academy and promoted to the senior squad, but is now back in Turin almost two years after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Now 25, the midfielder is a free agent and has been allowed to train with Juventus at the Continassa facilities while he looks for a new club.
He came up through the Bianconeri academy and had loan spells at Reggiana, Atalanta and Portuguese side Tondela, but his life and career were derailed in October 2021 when a bad headache turned out to be a – fortunately benign – brain tumour.
It was removed in December 2021 in a lengthy and delicate surgery that took over 10 hours.
“Juve are like a second home and family for me, so even during my darkest moments, they showed they were by my side,” Muratore told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“When I first got the news, I thought it would only be a temporary stop, but the complications started immediately. The operation was meant to last 6-7 hours, but it took another 3-4 on top of that.
“When I woke up from the coma, I honestly thought about quitting football. It was a very long and complicated rehabilitation process.
“Having a son gave me an extra push to try again, with the support of my partner and family. I also want to thank (Juventus director Federico) Cherubini, who was one of the first to call after the operation and he allowed me to come here to continue my progress.”
Maurizio Sarri gave Muratore his Champions League debut at Juventus and is another figure who showed support, as did Atalanta while his contract continued.
“I felt so strange the first few training sessions, like I had returned to being a child again and had forgotten how to kick a ball. If my dream was to play for the first team, my dream now is just to get back on a football pitch.”
Muratore played for Italy at various youth levels, including the Under-21 squad.