Danilo D’Ambrosio’s agent has revealed the Inter defender came close to hanging up his boots at the start of his career.
D’Ambrosio is the Nerazzurri’s only remaining player to be positive for COVID-19, despite being the first of the quartet (along with Samir Handanovic, Matias Vecino and Stefan de Vrij) to contract the virus more than two weeks ago.
The 32-year-old might never have made it to Inter in 2014 though, had he given up on football while he was playing for Juve Stabia in Italy’s fourth tier.
Speaking to Roma di Napoli on Friday (via Calciomercato.com), Vincenzo Pisacane revealed: “I was watching a match between Lucchese and Juve Stabia and there I saw Danilo.
“At the end of the game I spoke to him (to offer my services), but he told me he didn’t want an agent because he wanted to leave football and work in his father’s business.
“I told him he was crazy and that he couldn’t abandon everything.
“That same night he called me back and asked me to wait because he needed to speak to his father.
“A short while later he said yes, it all started thanks to him.
“I owe D’Ambrosio a lot.”
D’Ambrosio, who played for Juve Stabia between 2008 and 2010, has made 19 appearances in all competitions for Inter this season, scoring three goals in Serie A.
The defender is out of contract in the summer but a report yesterday suggested Inter were likely to offer him an extension.
D’Ambrosio has made 228 appearances for the Nerazzurri since he signed from Torino seven years ago, scoring 20 goals in that time.
