Gazeta reveals Iasmin Latovlevici's shocking story!

Iasmin Latovlevici remembers that he had asthma for 4-5 years. For this reason, the doctors told him that he would risk his life if he continues to play football.

# # # The left side defender reveals how he used to sleep uprightly so he wouldn’t choke, his grandmother put on his chest hot polenta to help him to breathe easier.

# # # The most important moment of his career was five years ago, when after a year of training by himself, he decided to give up football, but luck and Hagi put him back on the right the road.

The player with the most explosive growth in the new playing squad of Steaua, Iasmin Latovlevici, relates  his drama and the turning points of his career.

"How can he play in such a rhythm?". The question was heard in the stands in Ghencea at the end of the match between Steaua and Grasshopper and the reference was to Iasmin Latovlevici. With a sensational performance, especially in the first half, when he had many opportunities to score. The defender remained at the stadium until 01:00 am, for the doping control.

"I got home and it took me two hours until I could slept because of effort". Yesterday at noon he accepted the proposal to offer an interview for the GSP's readers. The location was a cafe in Bucharest. The waiter came and, before taking the order, he shook Latovlevici’s hand. "Allow me to congratulate you for last night’s perfomance" Latovlevici was a little embarrassed by the attention.

- Iasmin, gsp.ro's readers have named you the best player from Steaua - Grasshopper. Do you have the same opinion?
- (Laughing) ... It’s their opinion, I am happy, but the coach's opinion is more important. All the team made a very good match, not just me.

- I saw you for the first time taking all the free kicks from the right side.
- Yes, it was the coach's decision and I practiced a lot in training. I think it is appropriate that a left footed player takes the free kicks from the right side because it's indicated that the ball goes towards the goal and any deviation puts problems to the goalkeeper.

- But where did you learn to shoot like that?
- Hagi. I stayed after training to practice and I would shoot as hard as I could. Hagi taught me not to shoot violently and always to look for the goal area, that is the secret. He was right.

"When I was running, I have had no air"
- People in the stands were wondering how ca you can play in such a rhytm.
- (he smiles) I've always had a good effort capacity. You know, I had a big problem in my childhood. At seven years I got sick, I had asthma. The doctors were clear: "If you remain a football player, you put your life in danger."

- And how did you manage to win this fight?
- My mother wanted to buy me a special spray, but my father refused. "My child will not be a rickety, he will be a football player with any risk". I often had crisis, I used to ran out of air, I was forced to sleep standing upright, otherwise I would choke. It was terrible. I remember that my grandmother made polenta, rolled it up in a towel and put it on my chest. I was allergic to feathers, fluff and dust.

- At what age did you start playing football?
- At 10 years. It was hard at first, when I was running out of air, my face became red, but slowly I fought it and at 11-12 years I was finally cured. When I went to my doctor, he was amazed: "You can’t  be the same child who had asthma four years ago. I cannot believe something like this"

"I was refused by everybody"
- In addition to this drama, did you have a difficult moment in your career?
- Do you have about three days and enough space in your newspaper so i can tell you what I went through?

- Have you ever wanted to give up football?
- Yes, five years ago. In 2004 I had to train in parks, train by myself. I was playing for FC Timisoara BC Golf who didn’t used me nor let me transfer. Everyday I was running like a crazy man, I think I could compete without problems against Gabriela Szabo. In 2005, I went in the third league at Oradea, but after two weeks they told me to go, I returned to Timisoara, and i went at a trial at CFR, but Sunda didn’t want me. I didn’t know where to stay on the pitch, I didn’t have any marks, I didn’t have any knowledge of the game, I didn’t know anything.

- Why ...
- Wait, there's a lot to tell. From CFR I went to Brasov. Mulţescu was there. After two days he said to me: "Sorry, I need you." It was the moment when I gave in psychically. After an 8 hour train journey, I came home and I said: "I give up." In Timisoara came Poli AEK, and CFR Timisoara became a satellite, and I went there. At  the first training, I left all of them behind with two laps, I was a good runner, but I was weak in the pitch.

"I took advantage of a colleague’s injury"
- What you say seems broken away from a screenplay.
- Wait, there is more. There was a trial, with three matches. When the last team was announced, I was left out. Just me and another colleague remained outside! Before getting out on the field I found the last shirt in the locker room. In the first five minutes, the left defender was injured so I was introduced and I won my place!

- Who brought you up to the first team?
- Hagi. Being Poli's coach, he came to a second team match. Finally, he asked: "Who's the left defender and how old is he?". When he heard that I’m only 20 years old, he said shortly: "Bring him immediately to the first team."

- Let’s return to Steaua, what’s the situation with Ilie Dumitrescu?
- The relationship is good. We must be receptive and understand what he wants from us, and until now we understood because we won the two games.

- Do you consider yourself an offensive defender?
- I like to attack, I admit it, but it depends on the situation, because often you must stay in defense if the coach ask you. Dusan Uhrin tried me in some friendly matches as an offensive left midfielder, but I like to come from the back and be a sort of surprise.

Latovlevici about
... The national team
"I would lie if I said that I don’t think about the national team. If I have good evolutions at Steaua, maybe I will get there. I feel able, that I’m no longer just a 19-20 years child without experience"
... Steaua – Timisoara
"I don’t think it looks like a revenge, I’ve learned all these years what professionalism means and I only want to give everything for the team that pays me now"
... Model players
"I like very much Kolarov, and I like Evra from Manchester United. Lahm from Bayern Munich, even if he playes on the right side, he is fantastic in offensive"
... Bucharest temptations
"Don’t ask me something like that, because I know just stadium-mall-house. Surdu told me once to go at AFI Cotroceni and I went with my girlfriend, I walked the streets and I got to the Presidential Palace. Since then I said I don’t want to go out"

9 coaches with important names have been Latovlevici’s coaches in the past four years: Hagi, Cîrţu, Piturca, Sabau, Săndoi, Uhrin, Balint, Şumudică, Ilie Dumitrescu