Pape Souaré, the Crystal Palace and Senegal defender who suffered serious injuries in a motorway accident in September, has admitted he may never return to professional football.
The left-back was airlifted to hospital with thigh and jawbone injuries suffered in the accident, with Palace manager Alan Pardew suggesting at the time that he would not return before 2017.
However, Souaré has since come to terms with the fact that he may never return to the field of play, but still counts himself fortunate to have escaped further harm
“I know I was very lucky,” Souaré told BBC World.
“I got my leg broken, and my jaw, and I couldn’t eat for the first month.
“My leg…I’m trying to do the work to make it stronger with the physio at the club. The work I’m doing will get my muscle stronger than maybe before.
“I’m trying to work hard with the physio and get it back [but] I don’t know if I can get back to football or not.”
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Souaré was visited by friends such as international teammate Cheikhou Kouyaté shortly after the accident, while he has thanked friends, family and Palace’s fans for the support they have shown him.
“I have received all the support from the fans, everything, they help me a lot and make me believe in myself,” he added.
“[When] we were playing against West Ham, my number is 23 and on 23 minutes they were singing ‘There’s only one Pape Souaré’ – that made me believe in myself. I was watching the game and was very happy for that.”
