Announced a few years ago as the future boss of the Argentine defense team, 24-year-old Emanuel Mammana has had a winding trajectory. After training at River Plate and a half-hearted stint in Lyon, his adventure at Zenit was marred by serious injuries. In the recovery phase with the Saint-Petersburg club after a rupture of the cruciate ligaments of the knee, the native of Merlo confided in Olé. Evoking in particular a youth marked by the tragic death of his parents, when he was 6 and 15 years old. “I wanted to throw everything away after the death of my father, I had already lost my mother … I thought of quitting football, I even thought of the madness of committing suicide. I wanted to do it twice. It was very difficult, very difficult. It was two or three months that cost me dearly. But despite the pain, I was able to get out of it. And River helped me. I realized that at home, they had fought so hard that I got there that I couldn’t throw everything away because of this sadness. I had to realize my father’s dream: he wanted me to play in the first division. “
In this very bad patch, it was his club, River Plate, who gave him the necessary support to continue, he reveals in the columns of the Argentine newspaper. “My loved ones and River were there. I was in boarding school and the club supported me 100%. In fact, on the day of my father’s funeral, three minibuses arrived with all the guys on the team to greet me. Little by little, thanks to all this support – and thinking of all the efforts made by my father so that I could play football – I realized that I had to go ahead and realize my dreams. For me and for my father “. Episodes that hardened the central defender linked to Zenit until 2022. “They made me grow a lot. I started taking care of myself, even though I have four older brothers. I grew up all of a sudden. Today, I know that these injuries (knee, editor’s note) are significant, but they are nothing compared to the death of a parent. Today, I have my wife and my son who give me the strength to continue. The wounds, although difficult, heal. But parents once they’re lost … That’s why life is what I enjoy most, “ he concluded.
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