IT’S been seven months since PSG goalkeeper Sergio Rico suffered a horse riding accident which nearly claimed his life.
The keeper sustained his injuries when completing an annual pilgrimage in the El Rocio region of Spain.
The accident plunged him into a 26-day coma and his injuries left him “centimetres from death” after he was kicked in the neck by a horse and suffered a brain aneurysm.
He has now said he remarkably plans to return to the pitch for PSG.
Speaking on Spanish radio station El Partidazo de COPE he confirmed his intentions of returning but also revealed that his stay in hospital had seen him lose 20kg in bodyweight.
He said: “I’m looking forward to the doctor giving me a little more freedom because I feel good. I want to go back to my routine and feel like a footballer again.
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“I lost 20 kilos… I weighed about 92 and I stayed at 73. Now I weigh 88 kilos.
Rico added: “I take it too calmly, it is not in my power.
“If it were in my power I would already be [back training].
“I follow the orders of the doctors, who are in charge and those who have saved my life, without going overboard in the slightest.”
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Rico says he “has not changed” since the ordeal but initially found it difficult to speak after waking up from his coma.
He has previously paid tribute to his wife Alba Silva for her ongoing support during his recovery process and shared an emotional message alongside pictures of the two on his Instagram last month.
He wrote: “I have no choice but to thank you, my wife, the person who has been helping and supporting me not only in what has happened but since the day we met almost 8 years ago.”
“I have already publicly thanked all those people who have been with us from all over the world… to family and friends…. but today I wanted to thank you my love because you deserve it.
“Because you have fought like a champion and never gave up, because you blindly trusted that I would recover, because I am very lucky to have a person like you by my side and because I would choose you as a woman and a thousand times more.”
After he first suffered the accident, Silva wrote on her Instagram: “Don’t leave me alone my love because I swear I can’t, nor do I know how to live without you.”
Rico came through the academy of Sevilla, he left the club to join PSG in 2020.
He also had a 92-game spell with Fulham in the 2018-19 season.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
