Recovering from a long-term injury is never an easy task for a footballer and Marco Asensio had his own struggles.
The Balearic islander, though, is grateful for the environment at Real Madrid, which allowed him to come through the most difficult spells of his comeback after falling injured in July 2019.
“The first week was very hard,” Asensio admitted to Real Madrid TV.
“There’s a time you have to come through, you have to overcome the injury.
“The hardest period is the weeks after the operation, that’s the time that hurts the most.
“I was obsessed with recovering and I spent 24 hours a day thinking about my knee, which is a challenge.
“It’s better to not set a date because that eats away at your mind and I knew I had to go little by little before thinking about playing again.
“I had to reduce the inflammation first, then walk, then work on my quads…
“I set two-week cycles, but the challenge was enormous.
“I worked hard and overcame it.”
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez even played his part, which Asensio was keen to highlight.
“I felt hope, excitement and freedom when I ran again,” he added.
“Florentino helped me a lot.
“He’s always been very aware since the beginning.
“I’m grateful to him on a human level.
“I don’t think a lot of presidents would have done what he did, but that’s what makes him different.”