The only three legged footballer in the world

Although he rarely played the beautiful, there once lived a man who had three instead of two legs.

His name was Francesco Lentini was born in Syracuse in 1889, within a family of 11 children. Because of his deformity, he was abandoned by his parents and picked up by an aunt, who ended up sending him to a center for the disabled.

Although he was known as "the man with three legs," he actually had four feet, sixteen fingers and two genital apparatus working perfectly. Furthermore, to make his life even more complicated, the three legs had different lengths.

As a child, Lentini hated his limbs and the additional appendices, but doctors concluded that due to the proximity to the spine, an operation could have led to paralysis.

The time he spent at the home for disabled people served as a great motivator for Lentini.  It helped him realize that there were people in a much worse condition than his own. It made him see life from a new perspective.

In 1898, when he was 8 years old, Lentini immigrated to America where he became a spectacle. His sharp wit and sense of humour dazzled the masses. Along with this his unusual agility made him a star, he had incredible control over his third leg. His usual
performances consisted mainly of kicking a soccer ball with this tip.

In interviews he used his third leg as a stool. He responded to all kinds of questions and was always quite pleasant to talk with. He married a girl named Teresa Murray with whom he had four children.

Lentini continued travelling until he died in 1966 at age 78. His career spanned over forty years, he worked in circuses and shows all over America. He was considered the important part of the act and was much respected among his peers. 

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Posted by Fouad Ashraf on Feb 29 2012. Filed under USA, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry