Loading ...Sep 26 2008
Sneijder Set to Make Early Return for Real
Wesley Sneijder is on the brink of making a miraculous comeback to Real Madrid’s lineup.
Photo from Goal.com
One day after it was reported that Dutch international winger Wesley Sneijder had resumed training with the first team, Real Madrid has said their star is set to return. When he does enter a match, Sneijder will complete a miraculous comeback that saw initial injury estimates of a six month layoff turn into six weeks of downtime.
We go back to the Emirates in preseason, when an errant Abu Diaby tackle in the Emirates Cup had Sneijder laid out on the pitch. Just a month after staring in the Euros, the promise of the Dutch international’s ascendency into football superstardom seemed buckled under a wrecked knee.
Reports after the match were gloomy. Berdt Schuster said that the winger was in a lot of pain and crying. Ramon Calderon impetuously speculated Sneijder would be out three months. There was the general feeling that Sneijder had torn ligaments and would be out until late in the season. Within days, Real Madrid had bought Rafeal van der Vaart from Hamburg (something they would have done, regardless).
The examinations in the days which followed showed no ligament tears. The timeline for a return was reduced to three months. Now comes word that Sneijder could be ready to go within weeks.
No matter which club or country you support, this should be great news. The idea of a 24-year-old as talented as Sniejder having his knee torn up should wrench any football fan’s stomach. We watch these matches for the sport, competition, skill and art, none of which is possible without the performances from these elite athletes.
Sneijder has a chance to become one of the true elites. Thankfully, this knee injury will do nothing to derail that trajectory. I look forward to see him back on the pitch.
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