Inter defender Francesco Acerbi believes he had a "football rebirth" after his battles with illness.
The 37-year-old battled and defeated cancer on two separate occasions during his impressive career in the sport.
Acerbi has made 409 appearances in Serie A, keeping 99 clean sheets and winning the league title once in 2024.
He also won the 2020 European Championships with Italy and the 2019 Coppa Italia with Lazio.
Ahead of Inter's upcoming match against Cagliari, Acerbi has learned to focus on the important things in life.
"I had a football rebirth after my illness," Acerbi told Sky Sports Italia.
"It was not easy, but that's where you learn to deal with things larger than yourself, accept them, and try to find the positive.
"Living a healthy life isn't just about going to bed early or never drinking wine, it's about knowing what you really want out of life.
"It's about not seeking alibis, because those just suck you into this negative vortex that it's hard to get out of. We must always look inside ourselves and try to improve."
Destinazione: Cagliari #ForzaInter #CagliariInter pic.twitter.com/hpVhQq0MJX
— Inter (@Inter) September 26, 2025
Cagliari have made an impressive start to their Serie A campaign, picking up seven points from four games to leave them seventh in the table.
Their only loss so far this season came away from home against reigning champions Napoli.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Cagliari – Andrea Belotti
After his brace against Lecce in the most recent league match, Andrea Belotti could score in back-to-back Serie A matches for the first time in over three and a half years, since February 2022.
The 31-year-old has scored four goals against Inter in the league, all with Torino at the Stadio Meazza (the last of which came on July 13, 2020).
Inter – Lautaro Martinez
Cagliari is the team against which Lautaro Martinez has scored the most goals in his Serie A career with 11 goals in 11 matches, finding the net in each of his last five matches against the Sardinians.
Overall, only Francesco Totti (14) and Ciro Immobile (13) have scored more goals against Cagliari in the top-flight.