Incredible but true: Omar Abdellaoui, blind professional footballer at Turkish club Galatasaray, has just made a miraculous return to the football field.
Nobody could believe that he would be available for the Euroleague round of 16 against Barcelona. Moreover, there were
serious doubts about his ability to play football again, a lesser evil after what happened to him on New Year’s Eve 2020, when he was declared clinically blind.
Omar Abdellaoui, a 30-year-old Norwegian right-back, worked the miracle with perseverance, patience and medical wisdom. Not only did he regain his sight after eleven operations, but in February he successfully reappeared in the Turkish league.
His incredible story of progression has earned him the prize of playing at the Camp Nou this Thursday against Barça with the special black glasses he is forced to compete with. Whatever happens, he has already won. Yes, he will travel with the team when he makes the list, as a reward and as an example of struggle for his teammates. Omar’s lenses are nothing new in football. Edgar Davids played like this for Barça in the 2003-04 season because of glaucoma that affected his optic nerves and could lead to widespread vision loss. It was a solution from the doctors to prevent this. But the Turkish team’s defence was much more traumatic.
Omar lost his sight on 31 December 2020, on New Year’s Eve, due to a typical celebratory accident: a firework exploded in his face. On 21 February 2022, he reappeared more than thirteen months later after eleven trips to the operating theatre. A real wonder. Omar Abdellaoui plays with glasses after his accident Omar. He returned to training 13 months later.
The Oslo-born Norwegian international was in the garden of his home preparing to celebrate the New Year with friends and family, including his three children. He had several fireworks ready to go off when one prematurely came too close to his face.
“I can’t see, I can’t see,” Omar shouted to a friend as he felt the effects of the gunpowder and metal on his skin and in his eyes. His jacket was also on fire. His wife, Anne, ran to put out the flames but could do little. An ambulance arrived within minutes, but it took a long time to reach the hospital because of the traffic.
“I thought I had something in my eye, but then I felt my face burning and everything was black. Everything was dark, I didn’t know if it was day or night,” he explained some time later, recalling his brother’s desolate cries when he couldn’t recognise him when he arrived at the hospital because of the way his face had changed.
Within hours he was declared clinically blind. Despite the unconditional support of his Galatasaray team-mates and the love of his family, the winger, who went through the Manchester City youth academy before playing for Feyenoord and Olympiakos, admitted that he really had no control over the early days. He quickly accepted his situation and started to fight. He never gave up.
Doctors operated on him successfully in Turkey and the United States. Up to eleven operations. And, little by little, he accomplished the miracle. First, he saved an eye that had been considered lost through a rigorous and disciplined recovery.
He gradually regains his sight, works physically on his own and the day came, in mid-January, when Dr Yener from Galatasaray allowed him to rejoin the group, but with special glasses and contact lenses. He has to use eye drops every half hour, except when he is on the pitch.
“Everything was very emotional, all the players cried and hugged each other,” the doctor said.
Omar Abdellaoui plays with glasses after his accident. He reappeared in February. Afterwards,
he passed the tests to be able to play a match without problems, first as a friendly and then with the technical OK of a Domenec Torrent who was satisfied with his physical and sporting level.
And 13 months later, he reappeared by the big door: he started in the two consecutive victories against Göztepe (2-3) and Rizespor (4-2) which gave air to a Galatasaray in crisis. Last Saturday, he remained on the bench for the defeat against Konyaspor and came on in the 59ème minute.
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