Former AC Milan CEO and current Monza director Adriano Galliani has spoken about his harrowing battle with Covid-19 after spending 10 days in intensive care this month.
The 76-year-old admitted he feared he would die after he initially tested positive for coronavirus at the end of February.
After being released from the hospital, Galliani has said that his outlook on life has now changed.
What was said?
“I was in intensive care from March 7 to 17, the longest 10 days of my life,” Galliani told Corriere della Sera.
“It was a nightmare. There were no windows in intensive care, I just had a wall in front of me. I will say frankly that I was afraid I was going to die.
“It certainly didn’t help that I suffer from claustrophobia, as even being in an elevator gives me anxiety, so imagine not seeing daylight for 10 days.
“Having said that, the medics and nurses at the San Raffaele hospital were marvellous and their humanity extraordinary.
“I tested negative on March 17 and was moved to a different ward. I must confess, I’ve travelled all around the world for football and my work, I’ve been fortunate enough to stay in the best hotels, but when I got to that ward, I thought to myself: ‘There’s no Four Seasons room that can match it. This is the best place in the world.’ I was so relieved.
“This experience changed the way I view things, because truly health is the only thing that matters in life."
Galliani's career alongside Berlusconi
Galliani was the vice-chairman and CEO of AC Milan from 1986 to 2017, a period during which Silvio Berlusconi was the club's owner.
Together, the pair helped the Rossoneri win five Champions League titles and eight Serie A crowns.
The duo are now together again at Serie B side AC Monza, which Berlusconi bought in 2018 when they were in Serie C.
Berlusconi was also gravely ill with Covid-19 several months ago, and Galliani said the former Italian prime minister checked up on him frequently during his own stay in the hospital.
"Berlusconi is my family. He wrote to me constantly, he was really worried. I saw his calls even when I was too tired to answer the phone,” Galliani said.