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On September 24, 2006, Dario Silva was driving through the streets of Montevideo when he suddenly lost control of the car and crashed into a street light pole. After a few hours, a team of five surgeons made the difficult decision to amputate the player's right leg, who had represented the Uruguayan national team 46 times.
Almost half a year after the accident, the striker still cannot remember how the accident happened, but he speaks about it philosophically. "When talking about such things, you can never say 'it was lucky,'" says the Uruguayan. "But it's good that such a misfortune happened at the end of my career, and not when I was 22 or 23 years old."
"As a footballer, I couldn't do just one thing - hang up my boots at the end of my career after playing in my homeland," regrets the striker. "During my career, I managed to play in three European countries, represent my country in the Copa America and the World Cup."
During his fifteen-year career, D. Silva represented the clubs "Penarol," "Cagliari," Barcelona's "Espanyol," "Malaga," "Sevilla," and "Portsmouth," earning the nickname "Sa Pibinca," which means "thorn" in Sardinia, due to his attacking style of play.
The footballer is grateful that after the accident, many former teammates or opponents did not forget about him. "In football, you constantly find new friends, even if you don't know it," explains the striker. "The more countries you play in, the more friends you find, if you behave properly. For example, after the accident, Roberto Carlos and Roberto Ayala called me, although I only knew them as opponents on the field. But such things make me happier than expensive gifts."
Having lost his leg, D. Silva has come to the conclusion that football and life are very similar. "You have to feel that anger or inner energy if you want to bring out the best in yourself. Friends in the hospital constantly invited me to go for a walk and talked about football. But not because they were disgusting - they knew that by forcing me to grit my teeth, they would help me the most. Fired up, I would interrupt them saying, 'Oh really? Then leave me a place in attack, because I certainly won't stand in goal.'"
"If I had to describe myself in one word, I would choose 'stubborn'," continues the player. "If I can say that my career was successful, it is because of my stubbornness. I was so stubborn that when leaving the hospital, I argued with the doctors for a long time, who strongly recommended a wheelchair, until I finally left on my own two feet. I had promised many people that I would leave the hospital walking, and I did."
However, despite all the optimism, D. Silva admits that life can sometimes be very difficult: "Sometimes, waking up at night, I want to go to the bathroom and realize that I no longer have a leg. Then I am overwhelmed by heavy thoughts."
The 34-year-old striker is now looking to the future. He consulted with Italian Alex Zanardi, a former F-1 racing driver who lost both legs in an accident, but now competes again in races with prosthetic legs.
The Uruguayan does not plan to give up - he even does not lose hope of once again wearing the Uruguayan national team jersey at the Olympic Games. "When I was a little boy, I was very fascinated by rowing," says the striker. "Then my father trained me, and I did pretty well. I think I will do that now, maybe I will succeed in representing my country again. My hands are very strong, I just need to find the right balance in my legs. I think I have a good chance. The 2008 Beijing Olympics are a bit early, but London 2012 is quite realistic."
