Advertisement

Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini reveals he had coronavirus during Valencia Champions League clash

AFP via Getty Images
AFP via Getty Images

Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini has revealed his struggle with coronavirus before, during and after his side's Champions League clash against Valencia in March.

The Serie A outfit wrapped up an 8-4 last-16 aggregate victory over their LaLiga counterparts with a 4-3 second-leg win behind closed doors at the Mestalla.

That triumph followed an initial 4-1 win at Milan's San Siro - where Atalanta play their European fixtures - in February that was subsequently described as a "biological bomb" by Bergamo mayor Giorgio Gori.

Gasperini, 62, was in the dugout as usual for that second leg in Spain, but has now revealed that he was unwell before the contest, with a test undertaken 10 days ago confirming the presence of Covid-19 antibodies.

"I was scared. The day before the game I was sick, the afternoon of the game worse. The two nights after I slept little," Gasperini told Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport.

“If you look at the pictures, I did not look good on the bench. That was March 10. The two nights afterwards, I did not sleep well. I didn’t have a fever, but I felt like I did."

Detailing another symptom, he said: "'The day after, the team received food and 2008 Dom Perignon from a Michelin-star chef who is a fan of Atalanta. I tasted it and said: 'This is water…' The food tasted like bread. I had completely lost my sense of taste."

Lombardy - the region of Italy where Atalanta are usually based - was hit particularly hard by the coronavirus outbreak, with almost 16,000 reported deaths and heartbreaking footage of the region's plight beamed around the world.

Discussing his fears for his life, Gasperini said: “Every two minutes, an ambulance would go past, as there’s a hospital near the training ground. It sounded like a warzone.

"At night I would think: 'What will happen to me if I go into that hospital? I can’t go now, I have so much still to do.'

“It was in a way a joke with myself to lighten the mood, but on the other hand, I really did think about that.

"Then, on Saturday March 14, I had the toughest training session in years, an hour on the running machine, plus a 10km run. I felt strong, wonderful.”

Gasperini said that he isolated for three weeks at Atalanta's Zingonia training ground before eventually returning home to Turin.

"When I did get back to my home, I always respected social distancing with my wife and children," he said. "As I never had a fever, I didn't do the swab test, but 10 days ago the blood tests confirmed I had COVID-19."

Read more

'I could hardly walk': Leicester boss Rodgers reveals he had Covid-19