Aldo Simoncini who's the goalkeeper of the San Marino side which faced England yesterday, is just living his God gifted life. From the death bed to facing Wayne Rooney, Aldo tells everyone his story.
Its a difficult task to keep out goals, and its far more difficult for countries like San Marino who have a population of just 33,000 which is 1/3rd of the New Wembley. Aldo Simoncini who guards his countries football posts works as a accountant when he's not on the field.
San Marino who have won just one game in the last decade are ranked 208th or last in the FIFA rankings. Simoncini who has been part of this squad for some time now has let in a incredible 171 goals from his 39 appearances. But Aldo is just happy to be alive and kicking and playing his favorite sport.
"I get frustrated from time to time," Simoncini admits. "Nobody wants to lose in football, even less by big scores. But we know very well that some opponents are simply out of reach for us."
But as a highly rated teenager Modena in Serie B -
the second division of Italian football.
His career at top level looked all but over, before Simoncini recovered and was able to return to playing nearly two
years later. His first game back was a Euro 2008 qualifier against Germany, and San Marino lost 13-0.
"Even though I had to pick the ball out of the net 13 times, it was one of the happiest moments of my life," Simoncini says. "I put behind me 18 months of agony. After being told I might not play again, to be part of such a game was simply unforgettable."
.jpg "League")