Although his leg fracture was truly horrible and he will be in recovery for more than a year, Senegal striker Demba Ba is already thinking about coming back stronger than ever to do what he loves the most: score goals. At 31-years old, Ba is not a kid anymore and he may be thinking about hanging up the shoes already. But after this injury, any professional footballer knows that retiring is not an option. The thing to do is come back and prove themselves they can get back to the field and perform.
After the injury took place, the Chinese player who got him injured completely by accident went to visit him at the hospital alongside Nigerian teammate Obafemi Martins. The player is already out of surgery and thinking about a recovery. The press asked him if he was thinking about retirement after this, but he got really surprised by the question and denied that he was even considering this.
Talking to RMC after the surgery, Bemba Ba said: "This is a really bad injury but I know I can overcome it. I won't call time on my career, that's for sure. They haven't done the full operation because I told them to wait. I wanted to go to Europe to have it done but when I learned that was not possible I arranged with the doctor here to sort me out a French surgeon who should arrive shortly. He will operate on me.
"There are other players who have returned from similar injuries, like Hatem Ben Arfa. Something similar happened to me earlier in my career and the treatment options are much better now. I think I'll make a speedier return this time. The season here ends in November and the new one starts in March. I'll do my best to return in time for the season after that."
Photo credit: Demba Ba