Quitting football at just 28 years old: "I can't take it anymore"

BarcelonaSalva Ferrer's (Martorell, 1998) new life began today in the press room of the Nou Sardenya stadium. "I can't take it anymore," he explains. You can't play with pain. And the pain has been with him for years. "I'm hanging up my boots. I've had a lot of pain in my hip for a few months now. It's a problem I've had throughout my career, but after treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma, the pain has gotten worse." The current Europa player had fought this cancer for two years and had overcome it, but the pain in his hip wouldn't go away. "When you're a young footballer and this happens to you, it's hard to understand," he says. After overcoming the lymphoma, Ferrer was able to play one more match in the Italian league before signing for Europa to return closer to home. But the pain remains, and it has only gotten worse. "We tried to figure out where it was all coming from. I thought I could keep playing. I wanted to keep playing here in Europe, but that pain didn't make sense. In preseason, we realized it was serious. The doctors recommended a prosthesis. I didn't want to accept it. I tried everything. Even with medication, the pain didn't go away. It's very difficult; you can't imagine having a prosthesis at 28," he explains. He will undergo surgery this Tuesday, closing a chapter of his life.

Trained at Espanyol and Damm, this defender went on to play for the Catalan national team after deciding to move abroad following a successful spell at Nàstic de Tarragona. His destination was Italian club Spezia, an ambitious Second Division side where he quickly established himself. Those were good years: he helped them achieve promotion to Serie A, played against some of Italy's top clubs, and even faced Cristiano Ronaldo. "That promotion to Serie A and staying up is one of the best memories of my career," he explains. In 2003, Ferrer went on loan to Anorthosis, one of Cyprus's most prominent clubs. And it was then that he received news that changed everything: "I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma," he explains. A tumor. At that moment, football ceased to be important. "When they tell you, you're so stunned you don't even know what to say. 'It can't be. How can I be so unlucky?' I kept repeating to myself," explains the player, who arrived in Europe a year ago. Ferrer discovered he had this lymphoma one day when he had a sore throat. One of his lymph nodes had grown considerably and was painful. The treatment at the Hospital Clínic in Barcelona worked, as it also worked for Kirian Rodríguez, the Canary Islander player for Las Palmas, who recently scored his first goal after recovering. But Ferrer's case has been different. For two years, he had to adapt to a new routine that changed everything. "The psychologists had told me that in processes like this, stress doesn't help at all, and I became obsessed with staying calm and not suffering," he confesses. He had to undergo several chemotherapy sessions and received support from family, friends, and his partner, who, being a doctor, always gave him good advice. After two years of treatment, on May 13, 2025, he was able to return to the pitch in the 82nd minute of the Spezia-Cosenza Serie B match. "The fans' reception was very special," he says. During these years, accompanied by his family, Ferrer took the opportunity to earn his sporting director's license. "It forced me to travel to Madrid and study. I also have a coaching license," he says. In fact, since arriving in Europe, he has been a great help to coach Aday Benítez. "I want to contribute. I want to help. I'm coming to Europe after the promotion with a very exciting project. I haven't been able to contribute by playing, so I'm trying to offer my experience and support Aday," he says. "Football is my life, and I don't want to give it up. I'll see what I can do; it's all very premature right now," he explains from the Nou Sardenya stadium, where he has confirmed that the pain in his hip is too intense. "Now I think about all the clubs I've played for. I remember the call from Damm, when I was 18 and on the first team at Martorell, which changed my career. Nàstic, Spezia with the promotion to Serie A, Anorthosis... and now Europa is, you understand, my life, but you understand, my life, but you understand, my life, but you understand, my life, but you understand, my life, but you understand, my life, but you understand, my life. I've coached, I've tried everything... but the pain doesn't go away. It's time to call it quits," he concludes.