Brazilian goalkeeper Alexandre Toledo is refusing to let the fact that he has had one of his legs amputated come between him and the game he loves.
Mr Toledo lost his left leg following a road accident in 1996 but, despite the setback, he never gave up on football.
The 37-year-old said that neither he nor his teammates at Moleque Travesso Football Club in Sao Paulo saw his accident as a reason for him to stop playing.
"We were together before the accident, during the accident and after the accident. If it weren't for football, I wouldn't have these friends that I have today, and I wouldn't have the opportunity to play," explained Mr Toledo.
He was hit by an oncoming car whilst driving a motorcycle, resulting in serious fractures in his leg which left him bed-bound for several months.
After a year, Mr Toledo had to accept that he would never regain use of his leg, and was presented with two options: to keep the leg as a dead weight, or to have it amputated.
He had the lower half of his leg removed and since then vowed to continue living as normally as possible.
He said that attending football training every Saturday morning is extremely important for all aspects of his life.
It helps him to relieve stress and boost his self-esteem, as well as maintaining close friendships.
While Mr Toledo's missing leg raises eyebrows on opposing teams, the real surprise comes when they see him play.
"He has only got one leg and he plays football, he is a real example isn't he? I thought, he must be a good player, and that we would just have to wait and see what happens, and well we saw what happened, we didn't manage to score a goal against him!" said a player facing Mr Toledo in a match with Moleque Travesso.
Mr Toledo similarly does not let the injury affect him off the pitch, saying that everything he has achieved in life - his marriage, his child, his job in international logistics and his house - he achieved after the accident.
Watch Alexandre Toledo in action here.
