Gianluca Pessotto Sportsmanship Award KAFD

This is a unique honour, the Sportsmanship Award, the first of its kind in Europe, conceived by the Saudi sponsor KAFD, with an aim to recognise extraordinary figures in this global and limitless industry of football.

The inauguration had to symbolise something exceptional, and we chose an example, arguably the pinnacle in the annals of this sport, to commemorate not just the prowess of the player and the executive, but also the trials one consistently has to surmount and endure, even amidst success and financial gain.

The life of a footballer can be gruelling, at times excruciating. Young talents often depart from their families, sometimes even their homeland, at the tender age of 14, and are perceived as fortunate while they suffer and contend with fierce competition, the looming risk of failure, exclusion from the first team, and the occasional lack of empathy from those who guide them: one among many matures and turns professional, transitioning to other challenges, transfers, training camps, the separation from spouse and children, the rivalry and the losses, the uncertainty of life after football.

With Pessotto, we delve further. He was a champion, who claimed every available accolade with Juventus, including Serie A titles, Champions League, Club World Cup, and Super Cups.

Despite these accolades, he suffered a self-inflicted incident that stirred the global football community, as if to underscore the universal sentiment of discomfort that can beset us all; a worldwide lesson on the meaning and manifestation of vulnerability and depression in each of us.

Gianluca not only triumphed over it, but today he holds an executive role, serving as a beacon for the young talents at Juve.

He embodies the vigour of one who is fearless, providing a sense of security and allowing us to address the issue, all thanks to the decision of our sponsor.