Kevin Akpoguma: "It's a minor miracle"

Kevin, in April you suffered a bad injury to your cervical vertebra. What did you experience at the time?

Kevin Akpoguma: I remember the impact and then falling to the ground. I was dazed and wanted to stand up, but I couldn't lift my head. I couldn't get my head off the ground. It was then that I realised that something was wrong. Then the physios came on and wanted to treat my head, but I told them they shouldn't touch it. The doctors then applied the cervical collar. It was then that I could tell that something very bad had happened. I was carried from the field into the ambulance. There I could move my arms, legs, hands, feet, toes and fingers and my goodness was that a good feeling. Then at the hospital the diagnosis came and it was a cervical fracture. It sounds brutal. It's a bad injury, but luckily it was only a fracture. It could have turned out a lot worse. That I'm certain of.

Who was with you first after you suffered the injury?

Akpoguma: At the hospital the doctors who had treated me were, of course, there. Then my girlfriend came and the physiotherapists from Fortuna. I was in intensive care so not too many people were allowed to visit me. It was an evening game so my family and my agent came the following day.

Is there anything that you can take from this horrible incident that will help you in the future?

Akpoguma: It was touch and go. There was the possibility that my career could have ended and that I'd be in a wheelchair. I've learnt to appreciate life as a footballer a lot more. When you don't play, you're often negative and unhappy, but I don't have that anymore. I'm happy to be around the team, happy to train. If I don't make the squad or don't play, I remain positive and continue to work hard. I'm happy with my life and thankful for what I have and what I'm able to do as a professional footballer.

You returned to TSG training a lot earlier than planned. How was that possible?

Akpoguma: The fracture healed incredibly quickly. It normally takes three to four months, but my break took about seven weeks to heal and be stable again. That's a minor miracle. Then I was able to remove the rack from my neck and begin my rehabilitation. First of all with very light exercises. Like the recovery from the break itself, the rehab went very well, quickly and without any problems or set-backs. I must thank TSG and the rehab physios: they worked fantastically with me during the summer break and made my early return possible. There was an unbelievably positive atmosphere when we worked together. That's another reason, for me, why I returned so quickly.

Are there still restrictions for you in training?

Akpoguma: I'm slightly behind in training and am physically not at the same level as the others, but there aren't any restrictions anymore. I'm perhaps still a little inhibited in aerial duels, but I don't have any pain. Physically, I can go into every challenge with full power and heading isn't a problem.

What aims do you have for the rest of pre-season?

Akpoguma: Everything that I'm doing in training is a bonus for me. I didn't imagine returning to team training so soon. The club, the coach and the team have welcomed me back superbly and I appreciate that a lot. I've had a lot more time than I thought I would to adjust to and understand the football of TSG and what Julian Nagelsmann and the team wants from me. First of all, I want to reach the level that I was at before the injury and then develop further from that point onwards. I'm here to challenge to more established players and need to work hard. That's about football matters as well as adjusting to the tempo of TSG. It will take time, but I want to get up to speed as quickly as possible.

Shortly after the injury you said that you wanted to play a competitive match for TSG this season. Is that still the main aim?

Akpoguma: Once I've trained with the team for a while, hopefully I'll play several matches. I want to play for the U23s and hopefully develop so that I can be up for selection for the first team. I have a little way ahead of me before I reach that level. I want to become an option for the coach and want to help the team in the Bundesliga.