Bundesliga
Bundesliga
19.12.2008 16:16:41
Lucio (M.) made eight appearances for Hertha last season, with his only goal coming against Dortmund
Four minutes of joy after 447 days of torment
At quarter to two in the morning, team captain Arne Friedrich reached for the scissors. In front of him sat teammate Lucio, his long hair tied back in a ponytail. Moments later, the midfielder had parted company with the better part of his mane.
The bundle of hair which Friedrich then triumphantly raised to the skies symbolised for Lucio the end of 15 months of suffering.
Out for 447 days
"Those were the most important four minutes of my life. That was a great Christmas present", the 29-year-old emotionally admitted at the banquet following Hertha's 4-0 UEFA Cup defeat at Olympiakos Piraeus. Coach Lucien Favre had brought Lucio off the bench in the 87th minute, giving him his first taste of top-level action in 447 days.
"While I was standing on the touchline, the past 15 months flashed before me", the player said, adding that the struggle behind his comeback would remain with him forever: "My knee was like a wasteland that had to be gradually reconstructed over time."
Back on the offensive
That he was able to return at all is something of a minor miracle in itself. The injury he picked up at Schalke 04 on September 28th 2007 was widely viewed at the time as genuinely career-threatening. The 1.75-metre dribble merchant twisted his leg so badly in a 63rd-minute challenge that the knee was a virtual write-off, torn across posterior and anterior cruciate ligaments, the inner meniscus and the patellar tendon as well.
But having got off to a great start at Hertha following his move from Palmeiras Sao Paulo, Lucio was determined from the off to battle back. In fact, he straightaway vowed not to cut his hair again until he was back in action. Three operations and countless hours of physiotherapy later, he has achieved his goal. And now? "I'm going on the offensive again in the second half of the season", he enthuses.
"Hairdresser" Arne Friedrich can hardly wait to have the midfielder fully integrated into the squad again: "His terrible injury came as a shock to us. We're happy every time he progresses a step further." The step Lucio took on Thursday evening was a huge one in the right direction.
Out for 447 days
"Those were the most important four minutes of my life. That was a great Christmas present", the 29-year-old emotionally admitted at the banquet following Hertha's 4-0 UEFA Cup defeat at Olympiakos Piraeus. Coach Lucien Favre had brought Lucio off the bench in the 87th minute, giving him his first taste of top-level action in 447 days.
"While I was standing on the touchline, the past 15 months flashed before me", the player said, adding that the struggle behind his comeback would remain with him forever: "My knee was like a wasteland that had to be gradually reconstructed over time."
Back on the offensive
That he was able to return at all is something of a minor miracle in itself. The injury he picked up at Schalke 04 on September 28th 2007 was widely viewed at the time as genuinely career-threatening. The 1.75-metre dribble merchant twisted his leg so badly in a 63rd-minute challenge that the knee was a virtual write-off, torn across posterior and anterior cruciate ligaments, the inner meniscus and the patellar tendon as well.
But having got off to a great start at Hertha following his move from Palmeiras Sao Paulo, Lucio was determined from the off to battle back. In fact, he straightaway vowed not to cut his hair again until he was back in action. Three operations and countless hours of physiotherapy later, he has achieved his goal. And now? "I'm going on the offensive again in the second half of the season", he enthuses.
"Hairdresser" Arne Friedrich can hardly wait to have the midfielder fully integrated into the squad again: "His terrible injury came as a shock to us. We're happy every time he progresses a step further." The step Lucio took on Thursday evening was a huge one in the right direction.
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