While sprawled on the ground of the King Power Stadium last May, Séamus Coleman thought his illustrious footballing journey had come to an abrupt halt. The Everton skipper was anxious that Boubakary Soumaré’s challenge from Leicester City had severely damaged his anterior cruciate ligament.
However, scans carried out a day later revealed he’d suffered a medial ligament tear in his knee. This injury put him out of action for Ireland’s all-important Athens match the following June and for the rest of the Euro 2024 qualification period.
Reflecting on the Leicester encounter at a media briefing on Wednesday morning, days away from a friendly match against Belgium, Coleman said he was petrified. He thought it could potentially be a severe injury ending his carrier, but gratefully it didn’t turn out to be an ACL injury.
The 35-year-old has successfully bounced back from serious injuries in the past, one being a leg fracture due to Neil Taylor’s tackle from Wales in 2017. However, the incident with Soumaré was a moment where he questioned if his time both at Everton and as the Irish captain might be coming to an end.
He candidly shared, closer to the end of his contract that season, the severity of an ACL injury, which typically takes nine to twelve months to heal, would have undoubtedly complicated his career continuance. As he got stretchered off the field, he rallied the fans, acknowledging the situation’s gravity.
But with relief, the next day’s scan confirmed that it wasn’t an ACL injury, though still serious. Coleman expressed his optimism on making his comeback from this.