Argentina legend Gabriel Batistuta has revealed that he asked doctors to amputate his legs after being left in constant pain in his retirement.
The former Roma and Fiorentina star said that after years of struggling with daily agony in his legs, he wanted to be given prosthetic limbs similar to those of Paralympian Oscar Pistorius.
Doctors eventually compromised with Batistuta and he had screws inserted into his right leg to ease the pain and offer greater mobility.
Speaking to TyC Sports, he said: "I wet the bed even though the bathroom was only three meters away. It was 4am and I knew if I stood my ankle would kill me.
"I went to see Doctor Avanzi (a specialist in Orthopaedics and trauma) and told him to cut off my legs. He looked at me and told me I was crazy.
"I couldn't bare it any longer. I can't put in to words just how bad the pain was. I looked at Oscar Pistorius and said, 'that's my solution'. My 86 kilos are supported by bones alone. That's what generated the pain."
Batistuta is Argentina's all-time top scorer with 56 goals in 78 appearances.
