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Legend Batistuta 'asked doctor to cut off his legs'

Argentina legend Gabriel Batistuta has shockingly revealed that he once asked a doctor to cut off his legs due to suffering agonising pain.

The former World Cup striker was a goalscoring hero, but he has explained how excruciating pain in his legs forced him to attempt to take alarming measures to help himself.

The Argentina forward, who scored a staggering 168 goals in 269 games for Fiorentina, has revealed that the pain he suffered since retiring from football left him wetting the bed and in agonising pain.

"I left football and overnight I couldn’t walk,’ Batistuta told TyC Sports.

"I wet the bed even though the bathroom was only three metres away. It was 4am and I knew if I stood my ankle would kill me.

"I went to see Doctor Avanzi (a specialist in Orthopaedics and trauma) and told him to cut off my legs. He looked at me and told me I was crazy.

"I couldn’t bear it any longer. I can’t put in to words just how bad the pain was. I looked at Oscar Pistorius and said, 'that’s my solution'."

Since then, the 45-year-old has taken to having screws put in his legs, and although only one was augmented, he says things have gradually improved.

"I chose the right leg, the doctor couldn’t do both," he said. "I didn’t care. My problem is that I have no cartilage or tendons.

"My 86 kilos are supported by bones alone. That’s what generated the pain.

"I’m much better now than I was three years ago." Phew, good to hear it...

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