Castan reflects on diagnosis that changed his Roma career

Castan reached the peak of his career at Roma. He was a mainstay of the Giallorossi side that finished the 2013-14 season with 85 points conceding just 25 goals in 38 matches.

He was rewarded for his exceptional performances with a new contract, just two years after signing his first. Then a shock diagnosis sent him on a different path, plummeting from the heights he had reached through sheer hard work and to which he would never to return.

It all happened in a matter of months, after a serious health problem showed up following Roma’s match at Empoli in 2014. Six years have passed since then and Leo has been back in Brazil for a few years.

Nowadays he plies his trade for Vasco da Gama and is enjoying his career again.

“Things could have gone very differently at Roma”, he says. “But I had to battle with an opponent who was stronger than me…”

What do you remember about that day at the Stadio Castellani in Empoli, in 2014?

“I could say it was my last ‘real’ match for Roma. I played the first half and we took the lead through [Radja] Nainggolan. I was substituted at half time and I remember doing a flash interview with Sky before heading into the dressing rooms. That’s when the problems began.”

Tell us about it.

“I felt dizzy and had a general feeling of malaise. The doctors took me to hospital to find out what it was. The diagnosis was devastating: I had a brain cavernoma. I instantly felt lost and demoralised. I didn’t know what to think or do. It all came out of the blue, although looking back perhaps there had been a warning sign before then.”

What was that?

“I remembered having this really strange pain in my legs during the US tour the summer before. It was strange because I rarely suffered from muscle problems. The doctors told me there was no link with what happened afterwards. It was certainly the toughest time of my life. Roma looked after me, though. They protected me and gave me all the time I needed to get back to playing, providing me with everything I needed to recover. They did everything a great club should do.”