‘I looked like a toothpick’ – PSG’s Sergio Rico says he lost nearly 20kg after near-fatal accident | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Sergio Rico (30) has revealed that he 20kg following a near-fatal horse-riding accident in May, during an interview with El Partizado de COPA.

The Spanish goalkeeper was left in a coma, which lasted several weeks, following a head injury sustained after falling from his horse during a holiday back in Seville. According to a medical report, Rico was half a centimetre away from dying, however, he miraculously now harbours the hope of featuring for PSG later this season.

“My ultimate goal is to be ready with the team before the end of the season,” the Spaniard told PSG’s media channels back in September. Rico was back at the Parc des Princes for the first time in late November as he steps up his recovery from the accident.

Part of that recovery has entailed putting on the weight that he lost whilst in a coma. “I’m getting a bit better every day, but medically, I’m still not back at 100%,” he told COPA in an interview, transcribed by Le Parisien. “I am staying in Seville so that I don’t have to take a plane every time that I need to do test here. I lost nearly 20kg after the accident. I weighed around 91-92kg; I went down to 73, but now I’m back up to 88kg. I saw the photos when I left the hospital. I looked like a toothpick!”

It is unclear if and when Rico will be able to play football again, but the Spanish goalkeeper is understandably eager to return. “I’m constantly writing to my doctor to know when he will allow me to play sport again. I can’t wait to get back into my routine, to feel like a footballer. But it isn’t in my hands. I am respecting the orders of the doctors who looked after me and who saved my life,” said Rico.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle