After a twelve-year doping ban: Former Serie A star Flachi celebrates his comeback at the age of 46
Francesco Flachi Milan Samdoria Serie A 2006
©Getty Images
He once played for Florence and Sampdoria, in 2010 Flachi was banned for twelve years for cocaine abuse. Now, at 46, he’s making a comeback.
Former Serie A striker Francesco Flachi celebrated his comeback as a footballer last weekend after a 12-year doping ban. The now 46-year-old played for 30 minutes in the 2-2 draw against Prato 2000 for the Italian fifth division club Signa 1914.
Flachi was active as a professional between 1993 and 2010 and during this time he played 134 Serie A games for Florence and Sampdoria Genoa. He was banned for a year in February 2007 for cocaine abuse before testing positive again for cocaine in January 2010 and has been serving a 12-year ban ever since.
Flachi after comeback: “Hardly slept for a week because of the tension”
The former Italy youth international was keen to return to football so he could retire of his own free will. He had been working towards this for five months at Signa, a small club near his hometown of Florence.
“This day ends twelve years of exclusion,” said Flachi after his comeback Gazzetta dello Sport. “It’s proof that I got myself back together. How did I feel? At first I was a little dizzy because I haven’t slept in a week because of the tension. But now I’m happy and I want to thank everyone who made me feel like before: like a soccer player.”
Flachi once played nine U18 internationals for Italy and won the 1996 Coppa Italia with Florence. He scored 110 goals in 280 competitive games for Sampdoria, making him the third-best goalscorer in the history of the traditional club behind Roberto Mancini and Gianluca Vialli.