(ANSA) - Rome, August 28 - Former Fiorentina and Roma forward Gabriel Batistuta said Thursday the injuries he suffered during his career made him ask a doctor to amputate his legs. The former Argentina international enjoyed a 17-year playing career, spending 12 years in Serie A, and remains the Italian league's 11th all-time highest goalscorer with 184 to his name. Batisusta, 45, revealed that after he hung up his boots his physical condition worsened dramatically. "After quitting football, within a short time I found myself almost unable to walk," Batistuta told TyC Sports. "I was 10 metres from the bathroom, but I wet the bed because I did not have the strength to get up. "So I went to doctor Avanzi - the pain in my ankles was unbearable, to the point that I asked him to amputate my legs.
I had seen Pistorius and told myself that that was the solution. "The doctor did not want to, he told me I was crazy, he operated on the right ankle and luckily the issue has gone another way. "We fixed the ankles with screws, in an operation - my problem is that I do not have cartilage and tendons - my 86kgs weight was on bone and I was dying from the pain.
Then, slowly the situation has improved. "The recovery has been difficult, long and tiring, but I am fine now.
I'm also playing football again."