Legendary Inter defender and former club captain Giuseppe ‘Beppe’ Bergomi has revealed that he has had Coronavirus and confessed that he underestimated the disease.
“I did a serological test and my result came back positive for IgG antibodies and negative for IgM antibodies. At the beginning of March, I was sick. I had problems with my sense of smell and in my back, but not with my lungs,” he explained in an Instagram Live chat with Italian television presenter Giacomo ‘Ciccio’ Valenti.
“Now, luck wanted me to have the antibodies, but they explained to me that it won’t protect me 100 per cent because the virus changes. If I am to get it again, I should get a lighter version.
“I wasn’t afraid, but I always felt cold, I had to use two heaters. I thought it was a flu, instead I was positive.”
He then went on to reveal that he was mocked by his friends who accused him of thinking too much about it all.
“My friends made fun of me and told me I was thinking too much about it, but I was not well, I was always in pain, I was weak. I couldn’t sit down because of the pain in my back, I was always on my feet.”
Next Bergomi, who spent his entire career with Inter, revealed he has now recovered and is doing a lot better.
“After a while, the pain went away, but everything lasted for 20 to 25 days. Now, I’m doing great, I started running again. I only did the serological test, I tried to do the swab, but they told me that after 30 days I should be OK.”
He then went on to explain how he underestimated the virus and admitted to continue working as Inter academy coach and football pundit through it.
“I was a fool, I underestimated it. On February 21, I had the last training session and one of the boys had pneumonia, from there on we didn’t play anymore.
“On February 26, I was in Naples to comment on the match against Barcelona, then I was in Perugia to watch the match against Benevento.
“In my opinion, I underestimated it before, I’ve been in too much contact with people.”
Bergomi came through the ranks at Inter and made his first team debut back in 1979. He would spend the following 20 years in the first team before hanging up his boots at the end of the 1998/99 season.
The now 56-year-old made 754 appearances across all competitions for the club, the second most appearances anyone has ever made for the club with only Javier Zanetti having managed more.
