Liverpool’s Giovanni Leoni opens up about struggles with dyslexia

Giovanni Leoni has opened up about the mental and physical hurdles he has faced early in his career, from personal struggles with dyslexia to the devastating ACL injury he suffered with Liverpool. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, relayed by Alfredo Pedullà, the defender offered a candid look at the challenges that have shaped him.

Regarding the knee injury sustained on September 23rd, Leoni recalled the exact moment his season was derailed:

“The injury on September 23rd? As soon as I touched the ground, I said to Conor Bradley, my teammate: ‘I’ve done my ACL’. It had never happened to me but it was a strange sensation, I thought ‘it’s that, period’. A great, strong pain, the strongest I’ve felt in my life.”

Despite the setback, the Italian international maintains a remarkably philosophical outlook on the incident:

“I believe that life reserves certain things and destiny led me to this. To myself, I say: It must have happened to make me stronger.”

Notably, Leoni also discussed the difficulties he faced during his school years due to dyslexia, which often made him feel isolated from his peers:

“When I read a text, some words or letters were inverted. When they asked me to read aloud, I struggled so much. In speaking I have always been a bit blocked because of shyness, which has now decreased a lot. The fact is that your classmates always see you as different from them.

“For example: when you do tests or homework in class, if you are dyslexic you can keep your layout in front of your eyes and others say ‘we want it too’. It was complicated.”

Furthermore, the defender credited his mother for her unwavering support during that period, as they worked together to understand his learning difficulties. Consequently, Leoni now views these past struggles as foundational to the resilience he is currently showing in his rehabilitation process.