Napoli striker Victor Osimhen revealed just how bad the multiple facial fractures he suffered in a clash of heads with Milan Skriniar was. ‘It was like a near-death injury. I have 18 screws in my jaw.’
The forward sustained the injury during an accidental collision with Inter defender Skriniar in November 2021 and kept him out of action until January 2022.
The surgeon who pieced the face back together explained he needed to insert six plaques and 18 screws to keep the various pieces of bone in place.
Osimhen spoke to Wazobia FM in Nigeria about his experience and how long it took for the adrenaline to wear off and recognise quite how bad it was.
“That injury I had against Inter Milan was like a near-death injury,” said the Napoli star.
“I am the only one that felt it, and I can only speak about how I felt because it was my face and body.
“But to be able to stand up without using the stretcher, walk out of the pitch on my own, then I knew that it was something I could handle.
“For me, as I got to the hospital, I told my doctor that I would be out for two weeks maximum.”
The X-Rays revealed it was a ‘compression’ injury, that fractured multiple bones in his face.
“When the scan came out, I fractured many bones, which they had to remove and fix inside again. I have like 18 screws under my jaw. I went through a lot.
“A lot of sleepless nights. I could not sleep, I could not eat with the pain. But at the end of the day, I am a lion, and I know the kind of mentality I have.
“In my mind, I had already scheduled my return following the surgery.”
It certainly worked, because the 23-year-old returned in January and scored a total 18 goals in 32 competitive matches for Napoli this season.
Osimhen: “L’infortunio al volto come un’esperienza pre-morte! Non riuscivo a dormire e a mangiare…” https://t.co/DvgH3zis5O
— TuttoNapoli.net (@tuttonapoli) June 26, 2022
Horrific
Remember watching it. Horrible site.
Painful experience