Liverpool legends took on a team of Chelsea icons at Anfield on Saturday with one Reds star returning to the pitch exactly a year after he suffered a devastating injury in a similar match
Ex- Liverpool star Fabio Aurelio made an emotional return to Anfield less than a year after being hospitalised mid-game. The Brazilian was named in a Reds’ legends team to take on a squad of Chelsea icons on Merseyside on Saturday.
And the match came almost 12 months to the day that he suffered an extremely painful injury in similar circumstances. He was also named in a side to take on Ajax at Anfield last year and as he attempted to block a shot from former Ajax star Kiki Musampa, was injured.
Aurelio spent the night at Aintree University Hospital after sustaining five cracked ribs and punctured lung. Opening up on that incident to The Athletic, the now 45-year-old said : “I just tried to make the block and as he followed through after shooting, he ended up hitting me with his knee.
“You don’t expect an accident like that to happen in a Legends match, but when you go out there in front of 60,000 people, the competitive streak comes out. I couldn’t fly back last week because of the damage to my lung.
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“At the start, the doctors said I would need to wait three weeks, so I was a bit scared, but the specialist saw the X-rays a few days ago and said it has settled down. The lung is OK and with the ribs, it’s just a matter of time for them to heal.
“I feel much better now and I’ve been well looked after by the club. There’s always a good side to bad things. It meant I was able to enjoy Sunday’s game against Brighton at Anfield. Apart from the accident, it’s been a fantastic trip.”
Aurelio was certainly hoping for better ahead of his return to Anfield. Sharing a picture of him alongside Martin Kelly and Yossi Benayoun among other stars playing in the game during training, he wrote: “Training session done. Looking forward to tomorrow’s game!!”
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Aurelio signed for Liverpool in 2006 from Spanish side Valencia. But injuries limited him to just 134 appearances over six seasons before he eventually left for Gremio in 2012.
And Aurelio has since explained the mental drain it had on him as he tried to find some momentum during his Anfield career. He said: “It was really difficult to deal with.
“It always seemed to catch me in moments where I was really improving and looked set to achieve bigger things. Every time you come back from a bad injury, it gets harder.”
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