The son of AC Milan legend and Champions League winner Serginho has spoken out about the heartbreaking death of his son
A heartbroken Champions League winner has spoken out about his son’s tragic death at the age of just 20.
Brazilian legend Serginho won European football’s biggest prize twice with AC Milan, as well as being on the wrong end of the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ as Liverpool incredibly won the 2005 final. Having spent more than a decade in Italy, the left-sided star, who won 10 caps for his country, hung up his boots in 2008.
Now 54, he suffered the ultimate tragedy last year when his son, Diego, passed away. Serginho told Gazzetta: “Words can’t explain the pain a tragedy like this leaves. I’ll never get used to talking about Diego’s death. Since he’s gone, I’ve questioned every certainty I had.
“It’s the greatest pain a human being can endure. Today I live for him; I’m sure another life awaits us, where we’ll be together forever.”
Serginho revealed that Diego suffered from a vaping addiction prior to his death. He said: “It all happened so quickly, and the causes were unclear for a long time.
“He had shoulder pain, but we didn’t understand. He was an athlete, he did Jiu-Jitsu. We had him do some tests, and they were perfect.
“Then, in a couple of weeks, he got worse. But almost suddenly. I know smoking was to blame: he spent all day vaping with an e-cigarette. It had become a habit.”
Meanwhile, reflecting on Milan’s devastating loss to Liverpool 20 years ago, Serginho said the final was “cursed.” He reflected: “I’m of the opinion that in Istanbul we would have lost even if we’d played for a whole week.
“It was a cursed, unreal evening. The save [Jerzy] Dudek made on Sheva’s [Andre Shevchenko] shot was supernatural; I even spoke to him about it years later.
“On the bench, even before the penalty shootout, we were unmotivated and certain it would go badly. We even told Carlo [Ancelotti, head coach]: ‘Mister, we’re losing, it’s a cursed shootout.’
“And indeed, from the spot, [Andrea] Pirlo, Shevchenko, and I – the three best penalty takers – missed. It was a mental issue, not a technical one. Or, if you like, witchcraft.”
Serginho rejected the suggestion that Milan were already celebrating when 3-0 up at half-time. He said: “All bull****. In fact, the opposite happened; we all argued, and words were exchanged.
“In fact, that season, we often suffered lapses in concentration upon returning to the pitch. And it happened in Istanbul too. But you can imagine if anyone dared to celebrate.”