Romanian striker Adrian Mutu's career has seen its fair share of ups and downs but this weekend, indeed on the eve of his team's opening Euro 2008 clash with France, his many fans were lighting candles and offering their prayers for their beloved son after yet another dose of bad news.
The Fiorentina forward looked to have put all his woes behind him after a fine season with the Serie A side - who reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals and won the final Champions League place for next season edging out AC Milan - only for him to receive two bodyblows within days.
On Friday he was ordered by world governing body FIFA to pay former club Chelsea €12 million for revenues they claimed to have lost following his sacking for testing positive for cocaine in 2004.
As if that wasn't enough of a blow, on Saturday his adored maternal grandmother died leaving him devastated according to team camp sources, as he had spent much of his childhood in the home of his grandmother at Calinesti, a small town some 150 km northwest of Bucharest.
In a country where it is normal to cross yourself three times on passing a church, many have gone inside them to either light candles or offer up their prayers for Mutu.
His woes reflect a series of depressing news for the Romanian squad as five of their players have learnt since they went into preparing for the tournament they may well not be playing Champions League football next season as their club Steaua Bucharest has been swept up in a matchfixing scandal - while another who plays for Bulgarian outfit CSKA Sofia has already seen those hopes dashed as they have been expelled from the Champions League.
However, it is Mutu who the football fans are most concerned about as he carries a lot of their hopes for propelling Romania into the last eight and out of the 'Group of Death' which also comprises Italy and Holland.
‘We love you, we admire you and above all life continues,’ read one message posted by a fan on a newspaper website while another read ‘Don't pull out, Adi! Score goal after goal, you will dedicate one to your grandmother, one to your family and even one to Chelsea and FIFA.’
However, the Romanian camp - based in the Swiss town of St-Gallen - believe that he will pull through.
‘He (Mutu) didn't appear to me to be affected, quite to the contrary, he is gagging to play,’ said assistant coach Miodrag Belodedici.
National coach Victor Piturca preferred not to pass any comment on the blows that Mutu has taken over the weekend but said he had no doubts about his star player's 'psychological stability' and is in his eyes 'one of the best players in the world'.
