Serie A

CRISTIANO RONALDO’S mother Dolores has revealed she thought she was going to die when she suffered a stroke this time last year.
The 66-year-old was rushed to hospital on March 3, 2020, in her native island of Madeira after suffering an ischemic stroke.

Dolores Aveiro posted this picture of Instagram as she commented on her strokeCredit: Instagram @doloresaveiroofficial

Cristiano Ronaldo’s mother has spoken of her health scare a year after she suffered the strokeCredit: AFP – Getty

Dolores Aveiro was discharged from hospital almost three weeks later as she stated that she was ‘recovering well’ and she thanked the doctors and medical team that treated her.
And she has now taken to social media to speak in depth about her ordeal and the impact it had on her family.
Captioning a photo of her on Instagram in the hospital captured 12 days after her stroke, she said: “A year ago today I saw my life almost running between my fingers.
“And luckily I managed to hold on to a light, a light that pulled me up, a light that stubbornly insisted that it was just another obstacle to be overcome and another story of overcoming to tell.

“I never spoke openly about what actually happened, just because I recovered to almost 100 per cent people think that nothing happened or that the scare I gave my children and those who really love me was small.”
Before adding: “I stayed in a hospital bed, connected to dozens of wires and incubated. The hours after the stroke were torture.
“They didn’t know how I was going to wake up, they didn’t know how the damage would be, they were afraid of losing me, fear that I would be disabled, without recognising them, and with many limitations.”
She continued: “I woke up, a few hours later, not knowing what happened to me. I looked ahead and saw my children, around my bed. I was surrounded by machines, unable to move.

Dolores has declared she thought she was going to die following the incidentCredit: Refer to Caption

“I just remember seeing my grandson’s tears. Those living eyes looked at me with such love and then I screamed. I screamed, for the confusion that was going through my head. I screamed, I cried a lot.
“The emotion was strong, at that moment, there was no one in that place who had not been moved.
“At that moment, I thought it was almost over. I thought it was a farewell, a bitter farewell.
“I was confused and lost, but I realised that, after all, I had just survived something very strong and for my four children, I would have to be strong and go back to being who I was.”

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GIANLUIGI BUFFON could extend his career yet again this summer – but will finally hang up his gloves by 2023.
The Italian goalkeeper, who boasts a World Cup, ten Serie A titles and a host of other trophies and records from a long playing career, turned 43 in January.

Gianluigi Buffon has opened the door to playing until he is 45Credit: Getty Images – Getty

Yet he continues to be a part of a Juventus side challenging on multiple fronts, coached by old team-mate Andrea Pirlo.
In ten appearances this season, the veteran has kept six clean sheets including a 3-0 romp past Barcelona at the Camp Nou in the Champions League group stage.
Buffon’s contract expires at the end of the campaign but the prospect of a new deal is on the horizon.
The keeper told the Guardian: “I’ve learned nothing is certain in life.”

He added: “Look, in my head, there truly is a final stop sign.
“A maximum bar, which is June 2023, that is the maximum, really, really the maximum.
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You never know, maybe there’s a reason, something I’m meant to go back there for. One last great story to write.
Gianluigi Buffon

“But I could also stop playing in four months.”

Enjoying his second season in his second spell at Juve, Buffon had announced his retirement in 2017 – only to sign for Paris Saint-Germain.
After lifting the Ligue 1 title, he made another surprise move by returning to Turin in a playing capacity.
Should the legend reach the end of the 2022-23 season at the age of 45, he will have mastered a stunning 28-year career in the game.
And Buffon has maintained his confidence in his abilities and added that he still may have ‘one last story to write’.
He noted: “They say that when you reach my age, the decline happens all at once – from one moment to the next.

Buffon began his career with Parma some 25 years agoCredit: Getty Images – Getty

The goalkeeper famously helped Italy to their 2006 World Cup triumphCredit: Getty – Contributor

“I don’t believe this. I feel what I feel, and the sensations I have within myself don’t make me think there is going to be some sudden collapse.
“I am also someone who believes very strongly in fate, in destiny. When Juventus offered me the chance to come back, I thought, ‘Madonna!’.
“You never know, maybe there’s a reason, something I’m meant to go back there for. One last great story to write.
“So I have to be honest, there is also a part of this that comes down to that bit of ego all of us have.”
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