In a shocking revelation, Juventus midfielder Nicolò Fagioli has shared his harrowing experiences with gambling addiction and the threats he received during his darkest moments. The young Italian international bared his soul in the documentary ‘Fragile’, produced during his suspension for gambling and now available on Amazon Prime.
Fagioli disclosed the chilling death threats he received at the height of his addiction: “They had written to me that they would break my legs before a match. And I didn’t even know who they were, it’s really terrible…”
The 22-year-old also spoke about his emotional breakdown during a match against Sassuolo: “At that moment, I didn’t know how to repay the large amount of money I owed. Then the mistake made me see black, I started crying.”
Recounting a particularly tense moment, Fagioli said, “One morning I was at home with Giulia (his girlfriend) and I saw the police outside, in plain clothes, wanting to talk to me. I knew I had an illness, I was aware that I had to solve a problem. At first, I didn’t admit it to myself because I wanted to hide it from others.”
The midfielder described the all-consuming nature of his addiction: “I was nothing, on Sundays I would let off steam but I trained little and kept myself in poor physical condition. I gave little importance to anything else, it was as if gambling was the center of everything.”
Fagioli admitted that his addiction affected his on-field performance: “I thought about it even on the pitch, unconsciously: maybe I would miss an easy pass or assist and say I was distracted because I was doing other stupid things off the field. At that moment, gambling gave me adrenaline, it made me feel an emotion similar to when you’re on the pitch.”
