Michele Croce is fifteen years old and has a smile that seems to spread to everyone he meets. A student at the Beccaria Classical High School in Milan, he unfortunately cannot walk and lives in a wheelchair due to osteogenesis., a rare genetic disease which affects the bone tissue, making the bones fragile and easily subject to fractures.
His greatest passion has always been soccer. Would not playing like he once did discourage him? Perhaps some would have given up, but Michele found another way to stay involved in the game: becoming a referee. Not just any referee, but one who takes his wheelchair everywhere on the pitch, his whistle always at the ready. A solution made possible thanks to the discipline and the therapeutic work of William Zardo, a physiologist at the National Cancer Institute in Milan.
It wasn't easy at first. Some coaches and players looked at him with surprise, others with skepticism: "But how can you follow the game from there?" Michele responded with a smile and silent determination. He studied every move, every rule, he trained his agility in a wheelchair, learning to move quickly and observe the field from a unique perspective.
Over time, and with the encouragement of his parents, especially his father Rodolfo, and his 12-year-old sister Arianna, Michele's reputation grew alongside his efforts. The kids on the teams respected him not only because he knew the rules perfectly, but because he understood what it meant to face challenges without giving up. Michele became part of the game, not as a spectator, but as a guide and guardian of its fairness.
One day, during an important match, an opposing striker fell near him and blurted out, "You don't know what it feels like to run like that!" Michele gently approached, helped him up, and said, "No, but I know what it means to face a challenge. And respect doesn't require legs, it just needs heart."
That moment became a symbol of his philosophy: no matter how you walk or run, what matters is passion, dedication, and courage, whatever your challenges, without wasting a single moment of your life.
Cover image source: La Gazzetta dello Sport
Read also:
- Giulia, the paraplegic blogger who travels the world and loves life every second
- Michele, wheelchair travel blogger
- Giorgia, a wheelchair user, manages to fly with a parachute.
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