He played with Riquelme and Messi, left football due to an injury and now shines in another sport

The life of a sportsman It is always very sacrificed and involves a lot passion and dedication to what one does to be able to sustain the pressure. There are people who have the gene that allows them to overcome any difficulty and find beauty in any discipline, to reinvent yourself and keep having fun despite the adversities.

That is the case of Diego Perottiwho reached the top as a footballer by playing with Lionel MessiJuan Román Riquelme, and even have a presence in the Argentine National Team. Although a severe injury threatened to keep him away from physical activity forever, his power of resilience and improvement allowed him to move forward and develop in a completely different sport.

Diego Perotti’s beginnings in football

Diego Perotti is an Argentine professional footballer born on July 26, 1988 in Moreno, Buenos Aires. He developed as a winger and midfielder depending on the team, and was very fast and intelligent at making plays and continuing the movement of the ball. He made the lower ones in Boca Juniorsbut he began his professional career in 2006 in Deportivo Morón before making the leap to European football.

In 2007, he signed for Sevilla FC of Spainwhere he had a good performance. He won the Copa del Rey 2009-2010 and became a key player thanks to his versatility and performance in the Spanish League.

The injury that retired Diego Perotti

In 2014 he made the decision to leave the old continent and return to his origins to play with Riquelmeand played six months on loan at Boca Juniors, where he is an idol. Later, he played for teams such as Genoa and the AS Roma in Italywhere he reached his best level, being decisive in several campaigns. At Roma, he especially excelled in European competitions and helped the team reach the final stages of the UEFA Champions League. Later, his career took him to clubs such as Fenerbahce from Türkiye and other international teams.

Thanks to his constant evolution, he was summoned by the coach at that time, Jorge Sampaolito participate in some friendlies with the Argentine National Team prior to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. It was at that time and during his best moment, that he had one of the rarest injuries an athlete can have: He suffered an almost complete rupture of the ligamentous joint in his right knee. This left him out of competition for almost a year.

Although he continued playing professionally until 2022, being in the Salernitanaannounced his retirement from football because he was never able to fully recover from that injury in the xeneize.

perotti padel.jpg

What is Diego Perotti’s life after football?

Although many footballers decide to dedicate themselves to their family and enjoy the luxuries accumulated in their career when they decide to retire, Perotti refused to walk away from the sport. When the knee ligaments are injured and must undergo surgery, in many cases the original mobility is not recovered completely, and traces of pain remain.

This does not prevent you perform in padela discipline that the former player is willing to compete if his body allows him.