“We closed our eyes and we collided”

• On January 6, 2010, Chivu was one step away from tragedy. In the match Chievo – Inter 0-1, Cristi suffered a horrible head injury. He collided terribly with Sergio Pellissier in the jump and was left lying on the turf;

• Chivu was rushed to hospital in Verona, where he was immediately operated on. Later, Cristi underwent another operation, to be able to continue playing football. For the rest of his career, Chivu performed with a special helmet on his head, until 2014, when he retired.

Almost 16 years after the day that could turn into a tragedy, Gazzetta dello Sport interviewed the former Italian striker, currently honorary president of Chievo, who reached Serie D, before Sunday's game, from 1:30 p.m., Hellas Verona – Inter.

The former Chievo player recalled the incident in 2010 and told how the relationship between them changed after that black game. “Cristian has been reborn thanks to his mental strength, the same one he has as a coach,” said Sergio Pellissier.

Sergio Pellissier recalled the moment of the terrible accident

“Following the ball, I found myself in front of him: I was too close to avoid us. I closed my eyes and we collided. I also fell quite badly, I don't remember much of what happened immediately after, just a huge fear. Cristian was taken to the hospital, while I returned to the field for a short time, but I had to leave because I could no longer see well”Pellissier began to narrate.

After which he continued, describing the moment when he realized how serious the Romanian's injury was.

“Quite quickly, from the reactions, from the rumours, from the doctors around. I was on the ground, but I could sense that it was something serious. I wanted to see Chivu again in the hospital and fortunately in Verona they did an exceptional job. They were very good doctors and I think, in his bad luck, he was also lucky to be there. If it had happened somewhere else, maybe things could have turned out differently.

That event marked me deeply, we are human and therefore vulnerable. I was simply luckier that I had no physical consequences. In our profession, unfortunately, such things can happen, but as professionals we must immediately enter the field: it is not easy, but the mind is what keeps you on your feet in such moments.

And for Chivu, an extraordinary mental strength was decisive: he wanted to come back immediately, he did and recovered everything, winning the triple like a great champion. Of course, looking back, you realize how fragile life is. Let's just say that, luckily, it wasn't my watch or his,'' Pellissier added.

Cristi Chivu / Photo source: Guliver/Getty Images

The relationship between Chivu and Pellissier, much more solid after that injury: “That bad luck brought us together”

“An excellent relationship. We always greet each other with pleasure, we have seen each other several times and often talked about the incident. That bad luck, indirectly, brought us together in a way. He never accused me, he knew it was a game episode. He is an exceptional boy and he gets what he deserves as a coach as well. I like his style of play and also what he says.”

It is part of his character to focus only on the pitch, unapologetically, without wasting energy on the rest: a rarity these days. This year, the first matches did not go well, but he had the strength to go on. A coach is one who believes in his ideas even in the face of adversity.

I'm old-fashioned, pragmatism matters to me. And Inter is a pragmatic team. It plays well, but above all it is efficient. It was not easy to start over after an old cycle, and yet the team understood the new ideas. The road is still long, but the present smiles on them; one can see that he is a coach who loves those colors

– Sergio Pellissier, about Inter and Cristi Chivu

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