
For once, Ricardo Rodriguez is not moving on the football pitch, but on LinkedIn. The Switzerland star, who was born with a diaphragmatic hernia, tells how he fought for his life. He provides deep and intimate insights into his emotional world and touches readers.
No time? blue Sport summarizes for you
- National team star Ricardo Rodriguez captures the hearts of fans with an emotional post on LinkedIn.
- The 125-time national team star writes about how he was born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia on August 25, 1992. The chance of survival was 50 percent.
- "It was a nightmare for my family. For me? It was just life as I knew it. I knew the smell of hospital corridors before I could even speak," writes Rodriguez.
- Rodriguez hopes that his personal words will encourage other people who are facing similarly difficult challenges.
With 125 international caps, Betis defender Ricardo Rodriguez (32) is the second most capped Swiss international behind his buddy Granit Xhaka (135 caps). Hardly anyone defends cooler than Rodriguez. The Zurich native, who has also played for Wolfsburg, Milan, PSV Eindhoven and Torino, is undoubtedly one of the most successful Swiss footballers of all time.
The photo of him making arguably the greatest footballer of all time look small in the 2014 World Cup round of 16 in Brazil went around the world.

Since then, he has fought fierce duels with various star strikers.
But Rodriguez has long since won his biggest battle. He was born on August 25, 1992 with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Rici's abdominal organs such as his stomach, spleen, liver and intestines had moved into his chest through a gap in his diaphragm. If he had been born ten years earlier with this condition, he could not have been saved.
His uncle put a Madonna in Little Rici's bed
Because the disease was diagnosed before birth, he did not die at birth, but was operated on immediately and given a 50% chance of survival. The doctors even sent a chaplain into the room - in the uncertainty of whether the little boy would survive the operation. But grandfather Nelson immediately throws the counselor out of the room. "My grandson is strong enough. He will definitely survive!" he says. His uncle puts a picture of Madonna in the little boy's bed. She should look after him.
Madonna and the doctors do an excellent job. Rici is barely 18 when he gets the Madonna tattooed on his upper right arm.
This week, in a moving entry on LinkedIn, he talks about his difficult start in life, his struggle and his feelings. He writes: "It was a nightmare for my family. For me? It was just life as I knew it. I knew the smell of hospital corridors before I could even speak." And: "But as a child, you don't question it. You probably know this: you don't think about how hard something is - you think about things like football, friends and when you can finally play outside again. Of course I was 'different'. But no child wants to be different. I wanted to fit in, just be like the others. Perhaps it was precisely this lightness that helped me to keep going. Little thinking, just doing."
"There is hardly anything more valuable than hope"
Rodriguez hopes that his personal lines will also help other people who are facing similarly difficult challenges. "My advice? Don't worry so much about what you can't do. Just get started. The real strength lies not in being perfect - but in getting up again and again and carrying on, even when it's hard. In the end, it's not how fast you are, but that you get there - with your goals, your dreams."
He thanks his loved ones. "There are few things more valuable than hope and the people around you who carry you through it (...) When I think today about what has carried me through all of this, it wasn't this 'fighting spirit' that I'm often said to have as a player. It was my family that had my back and the sport that gave me support and joy."
This post moves people on social media
You can see from the reactions of users that his post is moving. One writes: "Great, Ricardo. In today's world of Insta and FB, we always see the successes, the chocolate side, the glamorous moments. The next generation in particular needs more honesty, more humility, more gratitude. Leaving difficulties behind, getting up, moving on, persevering - we don't see much of that. Sharing your personal story in this way takes courage. You are a brilliant role model. Thank you for sharing!"
Another said: "I just read your words to my wife and we shook hands afterwards. Thank you 🙏."
One user's reaction is particularly moving: "My son was also born with a diaphragmatic hernia. He is now 8 weeks old and is fighting through it really well. It's nice to read that everything can turn out well ❤️."