At the age of 14, however, he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, which seriously threatened his career, as it caused him to experience temporary paralysis in his limbs.
In his sole season with Lumezzane, he refused €50,000 to defeat his own team against Ravenna, becoming a hero, along with Simone Farina, of the illegal betting war;[3] the two players were later rewarded by being named FIFA ambassadors in 2012, while Pisacane was even invited by manager Cesare Prandelli to train with the Italy national football team later that year.
[8] He helped the club obtain promotion to Serie A during his first season with the side, and subsequently made his Serie A debut in a 3–0 win over Atalanta, on 18 September 2016 the following season, at the age of 30; having finally achieved his childhood dream of playing in the top Italian division, he was moved to tears during the post-match interview.
[1][2] In 2016, Pisacane was named the inaugural winner of The Guardian's Footballer of the Year award, which is given to "a player who has done something truly remarkable, whether by overcoming adversity, helping others or setting a sporting example by acting with exceptional honesty".
On 8 June 2022, Pisacane took on his first non-playing role, signing for Cagliari as a technical collaborator to new head coach Fabio Liverani.