“I knew I would make it.” The PSG goalkeeper survived a nightmare, but it is unlikely that he will return to football
Nikita Paglazov Jul 10, 2023 10:00 UTC Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Sergio Rico lost 20 kg and muscle mass in 1.5 months in the hospital.
PSG goalkeeper Sergio Rico has been fighting for his life for weeks. At the end of May, the Spaniard spent the weekend at home and rode a horse. He fell off an animal and hit his head. The result is head trauma and hemorrhage. Rico was rushed to the hospital, where he has been hospitalized for a month and a half. What is the goalkeeper’s status now and will he return to the field?
After the incident, the footballer’s representatives spoke in detail. “Sergio Rico went from Strasbourg to Malaga and from there to El Rocío with the permission of the club after winning the French championship. He spent a little over an hour and a half with his family and friends, and then he had an accident, ”said the player’s manager Footmercato. Doctors from the Virgen del Rocío clinic fought for three weeks for the player’s life. An endotracheal tube was inserted into the porter’s trachea to ensure airway patency. “PSG” all this time kept in touch with the clinic: “The club found out about the tragedy that happened to Sergio Rico this Sunday and is in constant contact with his loved ones. We provide full support.” In the French championship match with Clermont, the players spent the first half wearing jerseys with the goalkeeper’s name. The Spanish edition of Eldesmarque reported that Rico was visited by a partner, Carlos Soler, at the hospital Sergio also received a visit from the president of Sevilla, Pepe Castro, the former club of the Spaniard.
Action in honor of Sergio Rico
Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images
On June 2, Le Parisien contacted the Virgen del Rocío Hospital and learned of the player’s condition: “Sergio is stable. His general condition remains serious. He is currently in the intensive care unit under the supervision of a multidisciplinary medical team “. On June 7, information appeared that Rico was improving, but the situation remains difficult. And on June 9, the doctors again put Sergio into an artificial coma. However, on June 19, encouraging news came The Spaniard came out of a coma. This was reported by his wife Alba Silva: “Well, we are still here, we are taking small steps forward. At first he began to distinguish the light… Little by little, but I always knew that he would come out… However, this is a difficult process, it requires a lot of patience.
Then the footballer was transferred from intensive care to a regular ward. A week later, Silva reported that Rico began to communicate with his family: “Things are looking up. He communicates. Sergio calls us by name, he recognizes us perfectly, he has a good memory. Do you remember the moment with the injury? It doesn’t seem like we have to wait until he can communicate normally. Right now we’re just trying to make Sergio feel good and calm.”
Sergio Rico with his wife
Photo: from Alba Silva’s personal archive
At the end of June, the court closed the investigation of the case related to Rico’s fall. The conclusion, published by Cadena Ser, states that “since there were no eyewitnesses at the time of the events, it cannot be argued that Sergio Rico was on horseback at the time of the events.” The witnesses only saw the aftermath, but were not direct eyewitnesses to exactly how the accident occurred. And since the footballer himself does not remember anything, the court will not be able to collect any other information.
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In early July, Rico’s clinic issued a new statement: “Rico has been released from the intensive care unit where he has been under medical supervision for five weeks. He was treated by an intensive care team with other specialists. To date, he remains in the hospital. He will continue to receive the necessary medical attention and care ”. Athletic has published disappointing information about Rico’s future. According to them, the 29-year-old Spaniard will be discharged from the hospital in two weeks, but Sergio lost more than 20 kg during his stay at the clinic. While in the intensive care unit, Rico lost up to 30% muscle mass every week. The goalie also has speech problems. After being discharged from the hospital, the Spaniard will spend several months recovering at his home. The main question is: will he be able to return to the courts?
Athletic points out that Rico’s return to football is unlikely. Nobody cancels miracles, but Sergio will have to do incredible things to play at the highest level again. It’s terrible how a single moment of half-time changed the life of a good goalkeeper.
Sergio Rico
Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images
Sergio Rico is licensed by Sevilla. The Spaniard played in the Andalusian club’s main team from 2014 to 2020. In the 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 seasons, Sergio won the Europa League with his native team. In 2018, Rico was loaned to the Premier League by Fulham. After the results of the championship, the team flew to the Championship, and Sergio went to PSG the following year. There the Spaniard tried on the role of a substitute, but then he nevertheless concluded a full agreement with the club. In Paris, Rico never became the main one, but he constantly won trophies: three Ligue 1 golds, two Cups and one French Super Cup, as well as the French League Cup. In 2022, Sergio was loaned to Mallorca for six months. Then Sergio returned to PSG, but did not play a single game in the 2022/2023 season. His contract with the Parisians is valid until the summer of 2024. It is unlikely that PSG will terminate the contract, but the probability of seeing Sergio on the field in team form is minimal. Now, in any case, Rico’s main task is to get out of a terrible situation with the least loss of health.
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