He still seemed a bit unsteady on his feet, but the big smile on his face was more noticeable. Hand in hand with his wife, Sergio Rico left the Virgen del Rocio hospital on Friday to the warm applause of some fans and members of the media.
“Thank God I’m out,” said the 29-year-old. The serious riding accident that almost ended his life was 82 days ago. His horse bolted, lying on the ground it kicked Rico in the head. He suffered, among other things, a craniocerebral trauma and ended up in the intensive care unit. After the accident, he was in a coma in Seville before waking up in mid-June. “He’s a champion,” said his wife Alba at the time, and the family saw “light again”.
Rico, who once scored in goal for the Spanish national team, has started to recover and will now continue his rehabilitation at home. Because he is still not completely healthy. “I’m feeling pretty good, even though the aneurysm isn’t quite under control yet,” Rico said. He needs “a few more months of rest”.
She spent 20 hours a day with me.
Sergio Rico about his wife Alba
Apparently he can’t remember exactly how his accident happened. “They say the brain is intelligent and it cancels out all these events,” he explained. “I woke up in the hospital.” He was “excited, very happy and grateful,” especially to his wife: “She spent 20 hours a day with me. I’m very grateful. It wouldn’t have been possible without her support.”
Rico hopes to return to Seville
He also explicitly thanked Paris St. Germain and FC Sevilla. He is under contract with PSG until June 2024, and he has won the Europa League three times with Sevilla. Fans of the Andalusians showed up in front of the hospital with a banner on the first day. “We’ll keep that,” Rico promised. “I’ve said it many times: I’m a Sevilla fan and I hope to return to Sevilla one day.”
Rico has also kept goal for FC Fulham and RCD Mallorca. Many former and current teammates would have sent him messages to the hospital.
“I hope to return to football soon,” said Rico. In Seville’s “Sanchez Pizjuan” stadium, however, he was already omnipresent in the 2-1 draw against Valencia last Friday. Shortly after kick-off, his photo appeared on the scoreboard, prompting the entire audience to applaud. The wife Alba, who was present in the stadium, was visibly moved.
