The former Juventus champion recounts: “Baggio called me ‘Geppetto’. When Barbara died, I left soccer to be with my children. I cried alone to appear strong. Now Lucia has given me a new light.”

The story of Moreno Torricelli is that of a man who befriended the slap of the wind, suffering and cherishing the precious gift of tenacity. First in pain, then in rebirth. In the many silences, he discovered the secret of a new beginning, learning how to straighten that crooked wood we call life. “Misfortunes happen to everyone, not just me. It depends on how you face them and how you react.” Torricelli won everything with Juventus, coming up from the amateurs. It was a gamble won by Trapattoni. He was a carpenter and discovered he was a Serie A footballer. Then, after retiring, he had to face the tragedy of his wife Barbara’s death in 2010. A sudden bout of leukemia took her away. “For many months, while we were fighting the disease, I tried to reassure everyone, I kept a lot of things to myself. I didn’t want her and our children to lose hope.”

Torricelli, let’s start from the beginning. Your arrival at Juventus seems like the fairy tale of a man kissed by destiny. Tell us about it.

“I was 22 and playing amateur football. In the morning, I worked as a carpenter in a furniture factory, and in the evening, I went to training. It was 1992, and Juve had many players involved with the national team on a promotional tour for the World Cup in the United States, so they called me and some other guys to play in some friendly matches. For me, it was already a dream to be there. Trapattoni liked me, and he chose to take me on tour to Japan with them and then to give me my debut in the league. ‘If Vierchowod doesn’t pick me, I’ll go with the kid,’ he said. I owe him everything. He had the courage to put an unknown player in the starting lineup in Serie A.”

How did the dressing room welcome you?

“Well, they had read the story in the newspapers too. Baggio used to jokingly call me ‘Geppetto’. I’m still nicknamed that today. For Trapattoni, who is from Brianza like me, I was ‘legname’. Meaning carpenter.”

We’re talking about a young boy entering a locker room full of champions: was there anyone who intimidated you a little?

“At first, yes, I was a little shy. It wasn’t my world, I had to get used to it. Just think, in three months I went from a salary of 2-3 million lire to one of 80 million. For example, I was a bit intimidated by Vialli’s personality. We arrived together: he as Italian champion with Sampdoria, me as a nobody. Then, over time, we became friends. I remember he didn’t like driving, so I picked him up every morning to take him to the field. He was like a brother and a great captain.”

There was also a certain Zinedine Zidane.

“Zizou arrived later, accompanied by some skepticism from television stations and newspapers. We had sold Vialli and Ravanelli and were coming off a Champions League victory. I didn’t know Zidane, but at the first training session we were all amazed. Veronica, two dribbles and off he went. All hell broke loose. We looked at each other as if to say, ‘What planet is this guy from?’“

Even though his favorite remains Del Piero.

”Of course, for me he’s a step above the others… and not because I’m biased. Alex and I spent a lot of time together, as we were among the youngest in the group. He, however, was already a champion. Juve had paid a lot for him, and everyone talked about him as the future of Italian soccer. We immediately hit it off, and he often came to my house. My wife, who was a hairdresser, even cut his hair. He often stayed for dinner, and we had so many laughs.”

Yes, Barbara. An illness took her away at the age of 40.

“A terrible leukemia. The worst thing was having to explain it to my children. They were 15, 11, and 10 years old. The doctors informed me that the situation was serious right from the start, but I initially chose not to say anything to the family. I didn’t want them to lose hope.”

And you, on the other hand, did you ever lose hope?

“I kept a lot of things to myself, I pretended on many occasions and endured on others. I cried alone, at home and in the hospital they needed to see me strong. It was a 10-month ordeal. Only in the last few days did I break down and tell my wife what her condition really was.”

Soccer gave you so much, then life repaid you with interest…

“Misfortunes happen to everyone, not just me. It depends on how you deal with them and how you react. I lived a fairy tale in soccer, winning so much with Juve. Outside of soccer, I had Barbara, with whom I spent 20 wonderful years and had three wonderful children. I have no regrets or remorse.“

After his wife’s death, he chose to give up soccer completely. At the time, he was a coach, but he turned down several offers…

”Yes, I had an important offer from Crotone in Serie B, but how could I accept? Losing their mother was already a huge blow for my children, let alone moving house, changing city, and losing all their friends. Now I would gladly return to the bench, perhaps starting with the youth teams.“

What does Torricelli do today?

”I’ve gone back to doing what I did as a boy: carpentry. I help a local craftsman here in Valle d’Aosta and I enjoy building the mountain pasture for my new partner, Lucia. She has been important in my rebirth, she has given me a new light, tiptoeing into my life. She has also been very sensitive with Arianna, Alessio, and Aurora. For them, their mother is and always will be the only one.”