Everyone loves a comeback story. Hollywood have made tons of movies focusing on people falling on hard times and then seeking redemption. Sometimes, one’s hopes are successful, other times, not as much, but that hasn’t stopped people from trying.
Sports is no exception, and there are those who believe that as long as they’re healthy and fit, age shouldn’t be a barrier to getting involved, either.
Some Serie A fans may remember the case of Francesco Flachi, especially those who are a bit older and were supporters of Fiorentina and Sampdoria. Flachi first began his career with the Viola when the Tuscan side were featuring in Serie B, and was part of the team who secured promotion to the top flight at the end of the 1993/94 season. But it was with Sampdoria where the striker really made a name for himself.
From 1999 to 2007, Flachi became a standout performer for the Blucerchiati, scoring over 100 goals and rising from young starlet to captain as Sampdoria clawed their way up from Serie B into Serie A. All seemed to be clicking at just the right time as he earned a one-time call up to the Azzurri for an August 2004 friendly against Iceland.
Then, on September 21, 2006, things began to unravel. After being found guilty of being involved with a gambling outfit, Flachi was suspended for two months, with his club being fined €20,000. It would only get worse from there. Four months later, on January 28, 2007, he tested positive for cocaine during a random drug screening following a 2-0 away defeat to Inter, and thus received a suspension for 16 months on May 31st, which was then extended to two years.
Sampdoria decided to kick him off the team for good, and two years later, Flachi hoped to make a comeback by signing with two second-tier sides: Empoli, in 2008, and then Brescia, in the summer of 2009.
Just when things seemed to be getting back on track, he tested positive for cocaine again in December 2009, thus resulting in a suspension in January 2010 and ultimately being slapped with a 12 year ban in June. At that time, Flachi was 35 years old. Given that many players are winding down their careers once they hit their mid 30’s, this effectively spelled the end of his career, or so many thought.
Flash-forward to 2021, and Flachi, having found work in the restaurant business in his native Florence, has hopes of returning to the pitch. Not as a coach, but as a player. He’s now 46 years old – will be 47 next year – and has been working and training with Signa 1914, a team who play in Italy’s Eccellenza (the fifth tier of Italian football).
His ban will expire in January 2022, and now he has an eye on a return. Despite being nearly 50 years old, Flachi is determined to have his shot at redemption and hopes to be an inspiration to others who may feel they should give up on their dreams because of some poor life choices.
It’ll be very interesting to see how this pans out, as he’ll obviously be playing with and against players who are young enough to be his sons, but if everything does proceed swimmingly, we just may be seeing Flachi’s story picked up by Netflix or some other platform in the not too distant future.
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