Sergio Rico, who has been admitted to the hospital Virgen del Rocío in Seville since May 28, woke up yesterday from the induced coma, in which he was for 22 days, after the medical staff decided for the second time remove the sedation.
The Sevillian footballer, current goalkeeper of the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (PSG), suffered serious head injuries from being attacked by a horse during the El Rocío pilgrimage. And after being transferred by helicopter to the hospital, he was induced into a coma by sedation to reduce his oxygen and energy consumption and promote his recovery.
“I knew from the beginning that he would improve, because he is a champion”, Alba Silva, the athlete’s wife, said yesterday, a little more hopeful but still cautious, waiting for a complete recovery. “Here we continue, taking small steps forward, we can see the light”, added Silva.
He had already been sedated a few days ago to see how he reacted, but on that occasion the doctors decided to put the Sevillian back to sleep for a more comfortable and safe convalescence, since he did not react as they expected.
“Little by little. You have to be very patient”, the player’s wife also warned yesterday. As they assured Ya es mediodía, the footballer opened his eyes, was conscious, recognized some of his relatives and communicated with them through gestures, but he has not yet been able to speak, they say, because his vocal cords could be affected after so many days of intubation.
Silva, who continues to accompany the player during his recovery, also wanted to take advantage of the presence of the cameras to launch a message of hope and thanks for the support received: “Thank you to the hospital and the medical staff, who are doing amazing, not only with Sergio, but with all the patients, and, really, thanks to them and thanks to God, to everyone who has sent us a lot of strength, we are moving forward and I am much more encouraged”.
On Sunday, Spain won its first League of Nations after eleven years without trophies. Among the players of the Spanish national team, Fabián Ruiz, who is also Rico’s teammate at PSG, wanted to pay tribute to him during the victory celebration.
Since Ruiz didn’t score a goal in the game, he waited until the end of the game to show off a shirt he was wearing under the national team official, which read: “Go for you, friend. Lots of strength, Sergio Rico”.
