The Lazio and Italy defender is in the form of his life in Serie A, after taking inspiration from the least likely of sources
Lazio defender Francesco Acerbi says his fight against testicular cancer pulled him out of a spiralling alcoholism following the death of his father.
The 31-year-old is now maturing into one of the best defenders in Serie A, and made his senior international debut for Italy earlier this year.
Back in 2013, Acerbi was facing up to a difficult future after a pre-season medical at Sassuolo revealed a tumour in his testicle.