Sampdoria’s Walter Sabatini has recounted the near-death experience he went through earlier in the season. “It looked like a supermarket…”
Sabatini was rushed to hospital with breathing problems linked to his chain-smoking habit back in September, but the former Lazio, Palermo and Roma sporting director has since resumed work with Samp.
“My body’s been sending me signals for years,” the 63-year-old told Il Secolo XIX.
Sampdoria’s Walter Sabatini has recounted the near-death experience he went through earlier in the season. “It looked like a supermarket…”
Sabatini was rushed to hospital with breathing problems linked to his chain-smoking habit back in September, but the former Lazio, Palermo and Roma sporting director has since resumed work with Samp.
“My body’s been sending me signals for years,” the 63-year-old told Il Secolo XIX.
“That Saturday I had to leave for China. Had I taken that plane, I would’ve died. Between cortisone in my veins and anxiolytics on the Friday, they stabilised me a bit and then I disappeared from life.
“While I was in a coma, I think I saw paradise. It looked like a supermarket… My last memory of that moment was a conversation I had with Osti, although I still have no idea what the drugs led me to believe.
“I take 15 tranquilisers a day because there’s not a single minute of the day when I don't think about cigarettes.
“My life was covered in smoke. Living without it is a tragedy, but I have an obligation towards those who love me.
“When my body decided to rebel and I went away, President [Massimo] Ferrero never let it weigh on me.
“But not having been with the club at various points hurts my pride. I also thank the team. When I woke up, there was the good news of victories.
“The win in Bergamo, for example, energised me after a period of pharmacological drowsiness. It woke me up.”