<p>Protti, we're all rooting for you: "Only one regret in my career. And if I'd accepted AC Milan..."</p>

Last July, Igor Protti announced on his Instagram profile that he had been diagnosed with cancer in June and would soon begin treatment. Despite surgery and several rounds of chemotherapy, he announced earlier this month that the disease had not subsided, announcing the start of radiotherapy. Today, Igor Protti turns 58. Tuttosport extends its sincerest "good luck" to this champion, born in Rimini on September 24, 1967. Protti, let's start with the latest news. When he learned he was facing an illness, he didn't hesitate to share everything with his fans. Why? "There are many people in my life who have shown love for me, and it seemed natural to inform them of this challenge I am facing. You can't even imagine the number of people who have shown me their support through phone calls, messages, and all kinds of contact. Once again, the fans prove they are the best part of football." You, after all, are one of the most respected former footballers in Italy... "Thank you. I can say that wherever I went I always tried to give my all and I think this had an impact on the consideration I received" .

Raised in Rimini, he played for Livorno, Virescit Bergamo, Messina, Bari, Lazio, Napoli, and Reggiana, before returning to Livorno where he ended his career. More than twenty years after that draw between Livorno and Juventus in May 2004, his last match, how do you assess his career? "It wasn't at all a given, when I started, that I'd reach Serie A, top the top scorers' charts in the top division with Bari, and Serie B and C with Livorno, that I'd wear the shirts of big clubs like Lazio and Napoli, win European Cups, and be granted honorary citizenship of Bari and Livorno. I can only be satisfied."

Is there a football club, among those where you played, to which you remain most attached? "I had a good time everywhere, and today I follow all my former teams with interest. I have a bond with all of them, without exception, although clearly in a city where you've lived longer and have more personal relationships, you also have a greater opportunity to give and receive affection."

Lazio fans remember her for a goal she scored against Roma in a derby… "It happened in May '97. Roma had taken the lead through Balbo and the match was in its final stages. Rambaudi saw me entering the area and threw an assist that I controlled flawlessly, putting the ball past Cervone. That goal is remembered because in Rome the derby isn't a match, it's the match, the most important game of the year."

And what about Livorno, Bari, and Messina? "At Bari, I topped the scoring charts despite the team being relegated to Serie B. Honestly, I would have stayed in Bari even if Lazio hadn't arrived with an irresistible offer. As for Livorno, where I played for a total of nine years, I can say I've had the satisfaction of keeping a promise I made to myself when I joined Virescit in 1988: to return and lead the team to Serie B. Well, not only did we return to Serie B, but even to Serie A."

In Livorno, among other things, they retired your shirt, but then you allowed the club to use it again. Why? "Yes, the club decided to remove the number 10 shirt, the one I wore. I was very flattered by that. Then, however, over time I realized that 10 is not a number like the others. 10 is the perfect number in football. It's the shirt that makes children fall in love. I saw Gianni Rivera wearing that number and wanted to emulate him. So, while I was honored by the Amaranto club's gesture, I decided to 'return' the shirt to the club."

What can you tell me about your years with Napoli and Reggiana? "In Naples, the club was in crisis. Four coaches came and went (Mutti, Mazzone, Galeone, and Montefusco, ed.) and chaos reigned. In the end, we failed to avoid relegation to Serie B. I returned to Lazio for a few months, where we won the Supercoppa di Lega, defeating Juventus in Turin. Then, in the winter transfer window, I went to Reggio Emilia, where we endured another unlucky year."

Do you have any regrets? "Making my Serie A debut in 1994, the year after my dad passed away, so he couldn't see me play at the highest level. As for the rest, it's just a curiosity. Sometimes I wonder how my career would have gone if I had agreed to join AC Milan's Primavera team in 1985."