Former Manchester City defender Omar Elabdellaoui has made a spectacular come back to football after suffering blindness caused by fireworks.
The incident occurred on New Year’s Eve of 2020 and left Omar clinically blind and seemingly ended his career prematurely.
He has had 11 surgeries, including an occular stem cell transplant from his sister. and against all odds, Omar recovered his sights, and finally returned to the field on Monday, playing the full 90 minutes as Galatasaray defeated Gotzepe 3-2 in the Turkish Super Lig.
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Omar told beIN Sports after the game: “I went through a difficult process. It was a difficult injury, I struggled a lot.”
“I’m back on the field and doing what I love the most. It’s my dream come true for the second time. it felt like I started Football for the second time.”
Omar,who hails from Norway, was given a 5-10 percent chance of regaining his eyesight by his doctors in the US.
He also was able to keep fit by training with a handler from NFL side Cincinnati Bengals.
Omar Elabdellaoui will now have to wear special fitted glasses on the field for Galatasaray who signed him from Olympiacos in August 2020,and paid for his treatment after the fireworks exploded in his eyes.
Photo credit: @OmaEla14 (Twitter)
