Sergio Rico: "My only objective is to play football again"

Sergio, first of all, how are you?

"I'm doing well. Thanks to God, my recovery is going quite well, even though I'm still under close medical supervision. But the doctors have decided that I can go home to carry out this first phase of recovery here at home. I'm happy about that, to be able to be at home with my family, my wife Alba and my friends. So I'm happy. Little by little, I can see that I'm making progress. Every day I can see that things are improving and I feel a little stronger. Of course, I still can't do sport, but apart from that I'm fine."

Do you remember what happened on 28 May?

"To be honest, I don't remember the moment of the accident, or the days that followed when I was in a coma in hospital. I was asleep and unconscious. However, since I woke up and started to feel better, I remember everything else perfectly. Of course, I remember everything that happened before the accident. Now the aim is to keep moving forward, to make progress every day. I'm feeling better and better, stronger and stronger, and I can do more and more things. Now I hope I can get the medical green light to resume sport, it's what I love most and what I most want to get back to."

You were in hospital for a long time. What were your thoughts when you woke up and opened your eyes?

"The first thing I thought of, to be honest, was football. I was lucky enough not to have any brain problems, memory problems or things like that. When I woke up, I remembered everyone close to me, my family, Alba, my friends, everything. So my first thought was whether I'd be able to play football again. I was in my hospital room, lying on a bed without being able to move, with cables and drips all around me, and the first thing I thought was: "Will I be able to play football again?" It was even the first question I asked the doctors. And I hope the answer will be yes."

One of your first concerns was really football, whether you'd be able to play again?

"Yes, because ultimately I've done nothing else in my life except play football. So it was unimaginable for me to think about something other than football, because in fact I've never done anything that wasn't football-related. That's why I thought about it straight away."

When you opened your eyes again, did you realise how close you'd come to the worst?

"In fact, as I don't remember the accident, or the time when I was asleep, I'd say that I wasn't really aware of the seriousness of what had happened. Then I was told that all my family and friends were in hospital, that they were all very worried and that when they came to see me, some of them were crying. They told me: "So-and-so came, so-and-so was there...". All these things that people tell you help you to realise what happened. But as I don't remember anything about the accident, I'm not really aware of what could have happened to me."

You've received many messages of support over the last few months...

"It's moving to see all the messages of support. I've received messages from all my team-mates, from people at the club, from the chairman, from Luis Campos, from everyone. Everyone at the club has sent me messages of support and strength. They took time out of their lives, especially during the summer holidays, to send me messages, to support me. It really touched me, as did the gestures of my team-mates, their goal celebrations and the fact that they were wearing my shirt. You can see it on the video, in the dressing room, all the shirts with my name on them. It's an honour and I'm proud to be part of such a family. I'd also like to thank them all personally for their messages and for taking time out of their day to support me at this very difficult time."

What are your goals for the coming weeks and months?

"In the next few days, I'm going to have some new tests, and we'll see if I'm recovering at the right pace. I hope we'll get some good news and that the doctors will give me more freedom. I hope that I'll be able to do a bit of sport, or at least start to prepare myself a bit physically so that I can consider a return to the team in Paris. Because ultimately that's what I want. The aim is to be back with the team before the end of the season."

Is being able to play football again your biggest challenge?

"That's my main objective, obviously. Football is my life, there's nothing else. I don't think about anything else. I've always played football and football has given me everything. It has given me the life I have, a good life, a privileged life. That's why my only objective is to play football again. I hope that will happen soon. I'm going to work hard every day for that, if the doctors allow me to. The goal is clear: to play again, and I hope it will be this season."

Have you been following Paris Saint-Germain's start to the season? Have you been able to watch the matches?

"Yes, I've seen all the games. I think it's a new chapter, there are a lot of new players, there have been a lot of departures. And there's a new coach, so you have to adapt to his methods and what he wants to see on the pitch every match. After that, it's just a matter of time before we see something extraordinary. Luis Enrique is a great coach, and the players have shown and continue to show that they are great professionals. So I think it's only a matter of time before Paris Saint-Germain step up a gear and win all their games."

Now everyone would like to know when we'll be able to see Sergio Rico in Paris again?

"I'm really looking forward to being in Paris with everyone, and I hope that will happen soon. As soon as I get the green light from the doctors and my recovery is over, I'll be back in Paris to train and carry out the final phase of my comeback: getting back to the team and doing what we all love, playing football."