Home
Great stuff by Julio González Ferreira, the former Vicenza man, who after having his arm amputated has returned to professional football in Paraguay!
Paraguay's Gonzalez plays first game after arm amputation
ASUNCION, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Former Paraguay striker Julio Gonzalez Ferreira has played his first professional game since having his left arm amputated following a car accident almost two years ago.
Gonzalez played for nearly one hour in Tacuary's 1-1 draw away to Olimpia in the Paraguayan Clausura championship on Friday after being included in the starting line-up at the last minute.
"I will never forget today," Gonzalez told the Asuncion daily ABC Color. "I played again after the accident and everything went well.
"I think I did everything the right way. I played on equal terms everything else and I even went in a bit hard on (Roberto) Bonet.
"I want them to treat me the same way as any other player, I want them to mark me and kick me because I'm going to play that way."
Ramon Cardozo gave Tacuary an early lead but an 87th minute equaliser from Gilberto Velasquez denied Gonzalez a winning return.
Gonzalez, 26, was playing for Italy's Vicenza when he was involved in the accident on the way to Venice airport in December 2005.
He started training with Tacuary in July after returning from a year-long convalescence in Italy.
Gonzalez, who plays without his prosthetic arm, featured in Paraguay's 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign and was a member of the team that won the 2004 Olympic silver medal.
He has also played for local club sides Nacional and Guarani and Huracan in Argentina.
(writing by Brian Homewood in Rio de Janeiro, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
Paraguay's Gonzalez plays first game after arm amputation
ASUNCION, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Former Paraguay striker Julio Gonzalez Ferreira has played his first professional game since having his left arm amputated following a car accident almost two years ago.
Gonzalez played for nearly one hour in Tacuary's 1-1 draw away to Olimpia in the Paraguayan Clausura championship on Friday after being included in the starting line-up at the last minute.
"I will never forget today," Gonzalez told the Asuncion daily ABC Color. "I played again after the accident and everything went well.
"I think I did everything the right way. I played on equal terms everything else and I even went in a bit hard on (Roberto) Bonet.
"I want them to treat me the same way as any other player, I want them to mark me and kick me because I'm going to play that way."
Ramon Cardozo gave Tacuary an early lead but an 87th minute equaliser from Gilberto Velasquez denied Gonzalez a winning return.
Gonzalez, 26, was playing for Italy's Vicenza when he was involved in the accident on the way to Venice airport in December 2005.
He started training with Tacuary in July after returning from a year-long convalescence in Italy.
Gonzalez, who plays without his prosthetic arm, featured in Paraguay's 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign and was a member of the team that won the 2004 Olympic silver medal.
He has also played for local club sides Nacional and Guarani and Huracan in Argentina.
(writing by Brian Homewood in Rio de Janeiro, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
