Former Premier League star Marco Gabbiadini, 56, opens up on ‘shock’ heart diagnosis that requires triple bypass surgery, as he reveals he’s been forced to stop exercising completely

It was only when the subject of summer vacation came up that the seriousness of his condition became truly clear.

“The surgeon said, ‘No flights,’ so I joked with my wife Debs, ‘Then it’ll have to be Scarborough for me and you this year,’” Marco Gabbiadini recalls.

“But the surgeon then asked, ‘Is there a big hospital there?’ I said, “I don’t think so,” and he replied, “Well, I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you.” When he said that, it was quite an eye-opener.’

That conversation took place in May, a week after a stunned Gabbiadini was told that his coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart, were 80 percent blocked and that he urgently needed triple bypass surgery. Five months later, the former Sunderland and Derby striker is still waiting for his operation, which is finally booked for next week.

“It’s been an exciting five months,” the 56-year-old told Mail Sport from his home in York. ‘Unfortunately, the way to speed up the operation is to collapse in the street and then be rushed in. Luckily I avoided that scenario, but it was kind of hard to think about it all that time.

Gabbiadini sat down for an exclusive interview with Mail Sport’s David Coverdale, just days before he is due to undergo triple bypass surgery

Gabbiadini (left) played for Derby County in the Premier League in the 1990s

“I’ve been afraid to go down and there’s no one there. The family has tried to make sure I am never alone in case something were to happen. When I walk the dog, I now always try to walk where I know cars or people are passing by.

‘I’ve had to stop working out, so I’m probably in the worst shape I’ve ever been in my life. Before May, I played tennis a few times a week, cycled, gardened and helped the children renovate their house.

‘But the surgeon said: ‘Stop playing tennis, stop gardening and don’t watch football on TV.’ So I watched Sunderland’s games in full this season on YouTube after they finished, so I know the outcome and there’s no stress involved.

“It was a bit of a shock to have to have that mentality when you’re only in your mid-fifties. But at the same time, you have to count your lucky stars.

‘Because I reported early, I was given tablets. I’m on blood thinners, statins – eight different tablets to give me the best chance of getting to surgery. To anyone reading this story, if you are experiencing any issues, please report them as soon as possible.”

Gabbiadini, who has four children and four grandchildren, first reported his suspected problem in September 2022. That was three years after he retired from his second career as manager of an award-winning guest house with his wife in York.

“I was probably the fittest since I stopped playing,” Gabbiadini reflects. ‘After I sold the company I had some more time and started going to the gym. One day I was warming up on the elliptical and I felt a little pain in my chest, almost like heartburn. We also enjoy walks in the countryside with the children and a few times I found myself falling behind on a hill on those walks.’

Gabbiadini went to a doctor and although his blood tests were clear and he was considered a low-risk patient, he was referred to a specialist. Months later he completed a cardiac stress test and was then booked for an angiogram – an X-ray that examines the blood vessels – which he underwent in May.

Gabbiadini revealed he had to stop training completely while awaiting surgery

He is also afraid of being alone in case he collapses and there is no one to help him

But Gabbiadini wants to remain positive and ‘count his lucky stars’ that he got his diagnosis before it was too late

“You think you’re going to be right,” Gabbiadini remembers. ‘But the man came to me in the day ward and said, ‘You have 80 percent blockages in three of your main arteries, this is quite serious, you need full open heart surgery, we need to show you. urgent”.

‘It was quite a shock. As an athlete you always feel a bit invincible. I’ve always tried to take care of myself, so I was kind of like, “How did this happen?”.”

Gabbiadini made his heart condition public earlier this year and was flooded with messages of support from his football friends. He played 791 games in a career spanning 19 years, from 1985 to 2004, starting at York City before making his name at Sunderland, where he was top scorer as they won promotion to the top tier in 1990.

Gabbiadini, who has an Italian father, played for England Under-21s and made one appearance for the England ‘B’ team, alongside future full internationals David Seaman, Tony Adams, Dennis Wise and Alan Smith.

He left Sunderland for top-flight Crystal Palace in 1991 as a replacement for Ian Wright before moving to Derby, with whom he played his only season in the Premier League in 1996-97. Gabbiadini finished his career in the lower leagues with Darlington, Northampton and Hartlepool.

“Looking back, I’m most proud of my longevity,” he says. ‘I started in the mid-80s, when you could still go to the pub on a Friday evening and players would have a gay in the toilet before they went out. It wasn’t until halfway through my career that water entered the locker room. The only drink you could get was tea!

‘I was only earning £750 a week at Sunderland and was player of the season three times and top scorer for four years. My father was a scaffolder and earned almost the same.

‘It was a slog. People say: “Why did you move to Crystal Palace?”. Well, I tripled my pay that day. If you’re a mediocre striker in the Championship you get £20,000 a week, so they earn in a month what I earned in a year.

‘I think there should be a wage ceiling. We’ve gotten to the point where as a fan you think these players don’t deserve it. It’s gotten a bit crazy.’

Gabbiadini is still involved in football as a pundit with BBC Radio Newcastle but has been unable to travel to matches this season due to his condition.

“I really missed football,” he admits. “A game like Sunderland against Derby last week, two of my old clubs, it would have been fantastic to be there. But I’m waiting for the operation and trying not to stress too much.’

The operation date of October 21 cannot come soon enough for Gabbiadini.

Gabbiadini revealed he was only paid £750 a week at Sunderland despite being their player of the season three times

Gabbiadini is counting down the days until his operation but admits he is feeling ‘nervous’

“Now that it’s getting close, I’m nervous about two things,” he adds. ‘There is still a chance that they won’t be able to accommodate me because everything depends on the availability of a bed.

‘So I’m afraid of that, but it is also a major operation with a long recovery. It will take about six weeks before you can drive or do anything similar.

‘You spend a day in intensive care and then two days in high dependency, and then hopefully go home after seven to nine days. Then I have to deal with the fact that my wife is the nurse for me!

‘But I know it has to be done. Once it’s done, they say it will last 35 years and I’ll be as strong as an ox. They take the blood vessels from your thigh, which are twice as big, so it’s like you’re turbocharged. I’m looking forward to that!’