Filipe Gaidão on pre-Porto ordeal, Pinto da Costa: “He stood by me” | OneFootball

Filipe Gaidão recalled the serious accident he suffered before joining FC Porto and highlighted the support he received from Pinto da Costa during one of the most difficult moments of his life.

The former roller hockey player revealed that he was quadriplegic for some time following a fall into a swimming pool, at a stage when he was leaving Benfica to join the Porto club. The accident led to a hospital stay of about a month and even raised serious doubts about whether he would be able to walk again, let alone play.

Gaidão recalled that, during that period, the then FC Porto president never stopped supporting him, placing the athlete’s personal recovery above sporting considerations. The former player stressed that the club gave him support and the conditions to face his recovery, at a time when the clinical outlook was especially delicate.

Years later, the testimony of the former Portuguese international once again brings to the forefront a defining episode in his career and his life. After the scare and a long rehabilitation process, Filipe Gaidão managed to return home and regain mobility, in a journey that became an example of overcoming adversity in Portuguese roller hockey.

The former player’s story thus combines a dramatic moment with a gesture of human support that, according to him, was decisive in the way he faced his recovery.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.