Former Juve defender speaks to Corriere: `Barbara had leukemia, doctors gave her only a 2% chance of recovery. I kept silent, not telling her, her family, or our three children. I didn`t want to take away their hope.`
Moreno Torricelli never actively sought a career in football. He was a typical young man who grew up amidst the furniture workshops of his hometown and possessed an early drive for independence: `At 13, I started working as a carpenter; I didn`t enjoy school and wanted to earn my own money,` he recounted to the Corriere della Sera. His talent remained largely unknown in the amateur ranks of Caratese until a friendly match against Juventus and the sharp eye of coach Trapattoni completely changed his life at the age of 22. `I signed the contract on the hood of a car, and my salary jumped from two million lire to eighty. The day before, I was a craftsman; the next day, I was on tour with Juve.`
He and Alessandro Del Piero, both relatively young players at the time, quickly became inseparable friends: `He often came over for meals at our house; my wife even used to cut his hair. He wasn`t just a talented teammate; he became family. My nickname `Geppetto`? Baggio gave it to me in the summer of `92, after reading about my background in the newspapers.`
Barbara`s tragedy
`I met her when I was 15; she worked with my cousin, and I fell in love instantly.` His relationship with Barbara began early, blossomed as they built a family, but was tragically cut short. The devastating diagnosis arrived just before Christmas in 2009: leukemia. Torricelli recalls those difficult days with a striking clarity: `The doctors told me there was only a 2% chance of recovery. I decided not to tell anyone, not her, not her family, and not even our three children. I didn`t want them to lose hope.` It was only a few days before her passing in 2010 that he finally found the courage to share the truth. `It felt like a huge release. Even now, my children don`t know every detail; they will read some of it for the first time in this interview.`
Goodbye to football
After his wife`s death, football lost its previous significance for him. `I was coaching Figline at the time; being on the field offered some solace. But later, when I received an offer from Crotone in Serie B, I said no: my children were my priority.` Thus, Torricelli returned to the trade he practiced before his Serie A career: carpentry. During the Covid pandemic, he picked up his tools again, helping a craftsman in Lillianes, the village in Valle d’Aosta where he resides. Today, he`s working on restoring a mountain pasture hut belonging to Lucia, his new partner: `She brought light back into my life and has been very gentle with my children. It wasn`t easy, as their mother will always hold a unique place in their hearts.`
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A new life
Today, at 55, Torricelli is a happy grandfather and actively involved in the project “Training for the future,” visiting schools to share the values of sport: commitment, humility, and passion. `I advise young people to really seize the moment. Life can give you everything and then take it all away, but you must live it to the fullest. With Barbara, I shared 20 wonderful years; we raised three amazing children, two of whom have now made me a grandfather. Could our time together have been longer? Absolutely. But the journey we had was beautiful.`
