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Francesco Acerbi’s story really has all it takes to be a fable. It starts from afar, has an animal with human characteristics as its protagonist – in this case a lion – with its vices and virtues. And like any fable worthy of its name, it ends with a moral.
It is a story of sacrifice, resilience and perseverance – one that has seen Acerbi battle with alcohol and depression following the death of his father, twice overcome testicular cancer, and climb the footballing pyramid as a relative veteran to become an unlikely Champions League hero for Inter Milan at the age of 37.
It was the centre-back’s 93rd-minute equaliser in the semi-final second leg against Barcelona that sent the tie to extra time, with Inter eventually winning 7-6 on aggregate.
Acerbi threw himself on a cross from the right and slotted the ball in behind Wojciech Szczesny.
“It was his intuition, I didn’t say anything to him,” said Inter boss Simone Inzaghi with a smile after the match.
Team-mate Carlos Augusto told BBC Sport: “I thank him for finding the strength to go into the box at that moment. He has a great story off the pitch too, Ace simply never gives up.”
On that night, Acerbi scored his first goal in 65 appearances across Uefa club competitions. He had 46 touches, only one of which was in the opponent’s box. And with his weaker right foot, too.
“He is a defender, but he scored like a real striker. There is something magical and fabulous in what he did,” added fellow centre-back Stefan de Vrij.
‘I was sick and would drink anything’
Born in Vizzolo Predabissi, a village 15 miles away from San Siro and the site of his so-far most iconic moment, Acerbi’s sporting history began in 2006 at nearby Pavia in Serie C.
After a loan spell at Renate in Serie D, Acerbi began touring Italy with moves to Reggina, Genoa and Chievo, where he made his Serie A debut and emerged as one of the most promising defenders in the league.
AC Milan, the club he had supported since childhood, took notice of his qualities. In 2012 he made a permanent move to the Rossoneri where, however, things did not turn out as expected.
Acerbi had a problem, which in turn triggered others – an unresolved relationship with his father, his first admirer but also his first critic.
“He wanted to do me good, but without meaning to, he would go so far as to hurt me,” Acerbi recently said of his father’s constant criticism.
Paolo Franchini, the psychotherapist who helped Acerbi make peace with his father over the years, said: “He was his number one fan, but also his number one pain in the neck. He was always pointing out the mistakes he made.”
Now, when Acerbi raises his arms to the sky at the start of each game, he does it for him, but his has been a long journey.
His father died shortly after his move to AC Milan. Acerbi lost his balance and fell into depression.
“Already at the beginning of my career I didn’t really have the right attitude for a professional player,” he later said.
“I would often arrive tipsy at trainings, without having fully recovered from the night before. I was physically strong, and that was enough for me.
“As my father died, however, I hit rock bottom. I no longer had any drive and could no longer play. I was sick and would drink anything.”
After just six months, the Rossoneri loaned him back to Chievo, then he moved on again to Sassuolo at the end of the season.
Getty ImagesShortly after, during a medical check-up in July 2013, Acerbi was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
“From one day to the next, you find yourself powerless and surprised, and you discover that your life could change forever,” Acerbi would recount a few years later.
The tumour was removed immediately and Acerbi returned to training with his new team-mates. He played 13 times, but adverse findings during a doping control test in December 2013 certified the cancer’s return.
He did not give up, though, and after several rounds of chemotherapy – something he described as a “world of pain and of courage” – Acerbi defeated the cancer, thus beginning his period of inner growth.
“Paradoxically, the tumour gave me a second chance, making me realise who I was and what I really wanted,” he said.
With the help of his dearest, Acerbi returned to the field the following season and found more stability. After five positive seasons with Sassuolo, he moved to Lazio in 2018.
There he met Inzaghi who advocated strongly for Acerbi to follow him to Milan in 2022, because of the player’s leadership qualities.
“Inter were good to listen to me about Acerbi. I knew he would help us because his concentration and grit are unique,” the Inter boss said.
The Nerazzurri loaned him for 1m euros (£850,000) on the last day of the summer transfer window, despite scepticism within the club and the opposition of fans, worried by his Rossoneri past.
“I also advised him to move to Inter. His father was a Nerazzurri fan and that would definitively reconcile him with him,” revealed his psychologist Franchini, who said they speak before big games, including the semi-final against Barcelona.
Getty ImagesThe rest is recent history. Acerbi’s favourite animal is the lion and he has always fought like one, on and off the pitch.
A tattoo on his chest reads ‘The Lion King’; another lion roars off his stomach. Alex, the friendly lion character from the animated film series ‘Madagascar’, smiles off his right arm.
Acerbi has never accepted defeat and rebelled against fate, which confronted him with cancer.
He even rebelled against national team coach Luciano Spalletti, who had not called him up for almost two years.
In March, when asked, the Italy boss replied: “Acerbi? But do you know how old he is?”
But Spalletti has since recalled him for the upcoming matches against Norway and Moldova.
Acerbi also rebelled against what happened in Istanbul two years ago, when he and Inter lost the Champions League final against Manchester City. If Inter have another chance to secure the trophy in Munich on Saturday, the credit is also his.
“My moral is to never give up and always react. You can fall, but you must get back up every time; facing things with the right attitude allows one to grow,” Acerbi told BBC Sport.
“You have to help yourself, realising that you need it. It takes strength to get support from the outside and luck to be around people who really love you, but it all starts with you.
“From a personal and sporting point of view, I don’t know if a win in Munich would be the closing of a circle, but I’m not the type of person who stops after a Champions League final.”
If the lions inked on his body show Acerbi’s bravery, the wings on his back are there to show he has learned how to fly.
