Nacho Fernandez has revealed one of the most difficult periods of his life, when at the age of 12 he was diagnosed with diabetes.
The former Real Madrid defender revealed that after his first diagnosis, some people told him he should give up football.
The Spanish defender, who spent most of his career at Real, today uses his story to motivate children facing the same challenge.
"You have to forget football forever because you have diabetes. When I was young, I was very proud to play for Real Madrid. One Friday I went to the hospital and they told me I had to quit football because of diabetes. I spent the whole weekend devastated. You can imagine what that period I spent in the hospital was like. I didn't care about diabetes, I didn't care about anything else. The only thing that came to my mind was that my football career was over. It was extremely difficult. I still remember it today as one of the hardest moments I've ever gone through at such a young age," said the footballer who plays for the Saudi Arabian team, Al-Qadsiah, in an interview with "AS".
The 36-year-old developed as a footballer at the royal club. He was part of the Real Madrid first team from 2012 to 2024.
Nacho played 364 matches with "Los Blancos", contributing 16 goals and ten assists.
