The agenda demanded that the Gunners got done with a three point game at Birmingham at a time when they sat on the Premier League title race. Of course, that month provided more worries on health issues

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR VISION ARTICLES ARE SENT IN BY READERS AND ARE NOT WRITTEN BY ARSENAL VISION WRITERS.

By Randy Osae (arsenalspot.webs.com)

The long Saturday of February 23,2008 is a scar of not just Arsenal fans, but every football fanatic’s heart. Prior to that day, Arsenal had engaged in a Champions League knock-out first leg encounter with AC Milan in midweek.

The agenda demanded that the Gunners got done with a three point game at Birmingham at a time when they sat on the Premier League title race. Of course, that month provided more worries on health issues, Arsenal’s squad was thinned-up by several injuries and seeing another player join that list would be an ultimate nightmare.

Well, it did occur. Less than three minutes into the game, Eduardo tried to skim a 50-50 ball pass Martin Taylor with his left foot, but it was a different case. The quickness of the Croatian’s move, whether malicious or not by his opponent, saw him caught on the ankle horrifically by Taylor’s strong tackle.

The Birmingham defender was immediately sent off, however Eduardo laid still on the pitch. Why? no one knew exactly, Fabregas and co alerted physio Gary Lewin for immediate attention, while reactions at that moment were: “Oh no, not another injury, hope he gets back for the Milan game”. It was just another bad tackle to us, a deserved red card and an injury.

Of course TV broadcasters refusal to show replays due to the graphic nature is why so many of us were ignorant about what went on. So you would take it as a minor wound that should take him a few weeks to recover.

But we were all wrong, as Eduardo laid on the pitch for a duration of nine minutes while Gilberto had to come in and help with communication, we sensed it was serious. Eduardo required extensive treatment and was stretchered off with an oxygen mask strapped to his face. He had barely moved through the entire time. It was later confirmed the new best finisher in England had broken his leg.

Now remarks turned from “get back for the San Siro game” to simply “Get well soon Eduardo”. Since then, his name shares the mind flash of one stricken man who was to be a major star.

Then came the so called forecasters – “He won’t play again surely”, “Look at David Busst for example, and tell me why he will return, definitely NOT!”

But there were also the hopeful ones – “He should be back, remember Diaby?”, “Djibril Cisse broke both legs and he came back, Eduardo will do so too”

We lacked an accurate knowledge of the extent of Eduardo’s damage, his due recovery and certainly not his experience, so less could we predict about his future. But we were all aware of one fact, Eduardo’s injury was brutal. And it wasn’t difficult to write his football career off.

Arsenal football club did issue a statement soon after, that the Croatian hit man would surely return on a schedule for road to recovery, but it was one long journey by all means.

Fitness will not be enough for Eduardo to play again. His trauma after such tragedy will tell him not to come back like any other person who suffers that excruciating pain. So it would take a man to come back, right?

Well that is who the Rio de Janeiro born fellow is, a brave individual with courage. In May, after been suited in crutches for a while, he began rehabilitation in Brazil. Eduardo and trainers consistently worked his fitness in the gym with an audacious attitude, and now he IS ready to take on the pitch battle that brought him perhaps his biggest obstacle in life.

Eduardo has had surgery on his ankle, everything has been patched or sowed up, exercises have been done and on due course, he believes in an astonishing return when pre season starts.

” I am returning to Europe from Brazil at the beginning of August, perhaps even the end of July.

“Doctors tell me by then I will be fully recovered and able to play football again. I hope so too.” he said last week.

Those words were accompanied by his dauntlessness, and we should all look up, appreciate and admire Eduardo’s showing of a strong man.

Whether or not, his cunning quality with the ball will ever be the same, ‘Dudu’ will surely earn one roar of a warm reception at the Emirates Stadium when he finally makes way onto the pitch.

<(This article is available at: arsenalspot.webs.com)>