CHELSEA target Saul Niguez put his health at risk to play for Atletico Madrid after suffering a kidney trauma and internal bleeding.
The courageous Spain midfielder, 26, has reportedly been offered to the Blues in a loan deal.
But, after an accidental kick to stomach from Bayer Leverkusen defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos during a 2015 Champions League match, Saul’s career hang in the balance.
He was forced to wear a catheter to empty his bladder for two years and admittedly ‘p***ed blood’ as he played well beyond the pain barrier.
Saul recovered from his ordeal to become one of Diego Simeone’s most trusted allies.
BORN TO BE A FOOTBALLER
It was Saul Niguez’s destiny to become a footballer.
His dad, Jose Antonio (better known as Boria) was a legend at Elche in the 1980s.
So it was natural for Saul to follow in the family business, as have brothers Jonathan and Aaron, who both made it pro.
However, it was Jose Antonio’s youngest son who appeared to have the most talent.
Saul was scouted by Real Madrid aged 11, before moving to their crosstown rivals in 2008.
He made his senior debut two years later in a third division game with the reserves, before appearing for the first team in a Europa League match against Besiktas in 2012 aged just 17.
A season-long loan at Rayo Vallecano in 2013-14 established his credentials as one of the more promising players of his generation.
When Saul returned to the club, Simeone was ready to thrust the exciting talent into his line-up.
An early standout performance came in the 2015 Madrid derby, when he scored a bicycle kick to set Atletico up for a 4-0 win over Real, after replacing the injured Koke 10 minutes in.
HEALTH RISK
On no less than his Champions League debut, Saul’s football career was turned upside down.
An innocuous clash with Kyriakos Papadopoulos in a game against German side Bayer Leverkusen left him writhing in agony.
The blow to his chest “destroyed” his kidney, according to Atletico president Enrique Cerezo.
Astonishingly, Saul carried on but was substituted just before half-time, before his body began to shake, he lost feeling in his legs and arms in the dressing room and was rushed to hospital by ambulance.
He stayed in a German hospital for four days, while the blood was drained. Within a month, he was back on the pitch.
Secretly, though, Saul was playing with an internal catheter. Remarkably, something he managed for two years.
The sacrifice saw him play in huge discomfort, while putting his life at risk for his club.
“In every training session and every game I p***ed blood,” he revealed.
“It was pretty bad, something difficult that people do not know or understand.
“I was risking my health to put on the club colours, to chase the dream.”
He later explained to The Guardian: “The catheter gives you functionality but it was sore, you’d feel it running, and I was urinating blood.
“The problem was when we took it out, my kidney didn’t work properly. I was given options: play for a month, stop for a month … I said: ‘No, no, that’s no good. Put the catheter back in, I can function.’ But they said: ‘Saúl, it’s not that simple.’
“I was tired of it all and I said: ‘Doc, just take the kidney out. Take it out. I’ll be out for a month, but then I’ll be back again. The doctor was saying: ‘I’m not taking your kidney out;’ ‘Try this;’ ‘Try that.’
“I said: ‘Yeah, I’ll try things but if they don’t work, then what? More of the same?
“No. I just want to get back to playing well, feeling well. Forget it all. Be normal. Play football. I can’t be worrying about getting a knock. I just want to play. Take it out.’”
SOUND ADVICE
It was Simeone’s former assistant, the hulking German Burgos, who delivered sage advice to Saul and made him think more about his future.
The Argentina coach, nicknamed El Mono, is a cancer survivor after seeking treatment in 2003 during his playing days.
“Mono Burgos was so important,” Saul revealed.
“He came to me: ‘The doctor says you’re talking about taking out your kidney. You’re 22! What are you talking about? Use your head.’
“I was just thinking about football: take this out and play. I thought: lose a kidney, it’s fine, I’ve got another one.
“But Mono told me what he went through, he looked me in the eye: ‘Saúl, think about your life.’ I saw. The seriousness, the future.
“What if you get a problem with the other one? There’s no way out. And we put the catheter back in.”
Saul’s kidney problems have longtime ceased, and he was an integral part of Atletico’s LaLiga campaign – helping his team reclaim the title.
Since his ordeal, he has also vowed to give back to the game by setting up Club Costa City – a centre that’ll pride itself on grooming the stars of tomorrow, while giving them a good education and lessons on nutrition.
Whatever happens next in Saul’s life, you can bet he will tackle it head on.
A move to the physical Premier League certainly won’t deter Simeone’s warrior in the middle of the park.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
