Attaccante fino alla fine: identità sportiva, celebrità, malattia e autobiografia nell’esperienza di Stefano Borgonovo

Abstract

This study analyses, from a sociological perspective, the transformation of the identity of Stefano Borgonovo, a former professional footballer, following his diagnosis with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Through a phenomenological-interpretative analysis of his posthumous autobiography, “Attaccante nato”, the research explores the conflict between the identity of the champion and the experience of the patient. The investigation focuses on three interconnected analytical dimensions that emerge from the text: status, representation of the body, and perception of time. The analysis reveals how autobiographical narration becomes a performative act to repair the biographical fracture caused by the disease. Borgonovo’s status evolves from a celebrity based on athletic performance to one based on public testimony of vulnerability, accumulating a capital of suffering. The body, from a performing and disciplined instrument, becomes a suffering and hyper-visible entity, yet catalysing rituals of collective solidarity. Consequently, the linear and progressive temporality of his sporting career is replaced by a present dominated by illness, radically redefining his existential horizon. The study concludes that, despite the loss of his performing ability, Borgonovo manages to preserve a strong social identity, reconfiguring his public role from athlete to symbol of the fight against ALS and maintaining a narrative continuity between his past and his present.