After missing the entire last season due to a horror skull fracture, Raul Jimenez is back and he described the miracle of surviving it.
A skull fracture like the one Raul Jimenez suffered is serious business, especially when you realize many players never come back from that. Initially, we all thought the worst when the Mexican striker clashed with David Luiz. The Brazilian player seemed scared out of his mind because he thought he did irreparable damage to Raul. But the former Club America man is resilient and he never gave up. In fact, he believed he was ready to play during the end of last season. But doctors know best and they always asked him to remain calm because he needed the proper time to heal.
After the recovery period, Raul returned to play a full 90 minutes against Leicester City last weekend. This is how he described the entire process on Sky Sports Football’s channel: “I always thought that after my recovery I would be back to do what I love to do. I never thought about finishing my career. There was a chance of that, but I was always confident I was going to return. The bone had broken and there was a little bit of bleeding inside my brain. That’s why the surgery had to be quick and it was a really good job from the doctors.”
Raul describes the feeling of a head guard.
Raul continued: “There have been different head guards since I started training with the team. I feel confident. If it was up to me I wouldn’t use it. I would play normal. The doctors told me it was protection to prevent something. In this moment it could be more dangerous for me than any other player. I know I have to be in the same line as the doctors and surgeons. It’s something you can’t feel because you feel good, you feel prepared, but then at the last moment in the MRI or the scans it tells us that it wasn’t fully recovered.
“That was the most difficult part because you think you are ready, but you’re not. It’s not like I injured my knee or something I can feel when I walk. I felt really good at that moment, but it wasn’t my time yet. I worked on that really well I think. Even when I knew that it was difficult, when I received the notice that I would not be playing last season until this season, I had to wait almost three months to play again. It was just a shock in the moment, but 10 minutes later I said ‘OK, I need to continue recovery, keep doing what I’m doing to be ready for next season’. I was focused on recovery.”
Be sure not to miss out on the latest news about Raul Jimenez
Download our brand new App and follow your favorite players, clubs, and much more
