The biggest comeback of his life

Paradoxes of life, the father of Rylee Foster (Ontario, Canada8/13/1998) did not want his son to play soccer for fear of injury and, possibly, soccer saved his life.

On October 16, 2021, three days after putting in a superb performance between the sticks in the Cup defending the ‘Red’ shirt of Liverpoolhad a car accident at Finland which may cost his life several times. The first, when he was thrown from a car some 30 meters and, after being inexplicably discharged from hospital, boarded a plane to Liverpool still with a broken neck and an infection that paralyzed his arm.

Unbreakable Spirit

Now, two years later and after countless recovery sessions, rehabilitation, depression, efforts and an unbreakable spirit of overcoming adversity with the sole aim of wearing shorts again and feeling like a footballer, Rylee Foster He again saved balls in an official match. This time, away from his beloved Liverpool. The Wellington Phoenix of New Zealandthe only team in the world that plays in a league that is not part of its confederation, the A-League Australian, he was chosen. And he plays as a starter.

Physical recovery requires a mental struggle that accompanied him these two years and which he had to face. This is his greatest comeback yet.

‘Red’ Family

An injury made his goal debut and he was outstanding. Everything seemed to speed up at that moment. He studied at the university of West Virginia and entered the women’s varsity team. His outstanding performances reached the Canadian federation and he became part of the lower categories of Canada. Nominated as the best young goalkeeper in the region of North and Central Americasigned an agent who called several clubs, including Liverpool. Within three weeks he signed a contract with them. Three generations of Foster They are ‘Reds’ fans thanks to the fact that their grandparents moved from the English city to North America.

The accident

Over time, he worked in the first team. Although he had few opportunities to prove himself, he took advantage of them. He can be a starter and he’s serious. When there is downtime at the club, he works out at the gym to stay in shape. The goal is to succeed at a big club.

But the role of the second goalkeeper also requires extra mental strength: it is difficult to break into the starting lineup. Therefore, he decided to take some time to rest and travel to Finland to see her boyfriend drake who plays basketball professionally.

He was in a car with some friends and they set off to cover miles. Entering a highway, the driver tries to overtake another person in front. A patch of ice causes him to lose control of the car and they take off, flying several times.

When the car stopped, Rylee appeared in the near field. The rocking car crushed the roof he was sitting on. It was the first time he faced death. Diagnosis: severe brain hemorrhage, multiple neck and spine fractures, broken knee and other bruises. A few days after the first visit to a doctor Liverpool, received an urgent phone call that summoned him to the hospital immediately. “When I arrived and entered, I closed my eyes because my knee hurt, I said that Rylee Foster and the entire medical team seemed to panic,” he explained. The surgeon came in and said, “You actually have seven fractures in your neck. You have the same damage he did Christopher Reeve (Superman) when he fell from his horse and was paralyzed from the neck down.”

And he added: “You will never play again.”

He has four C1 fractures and three C2 fractures. His spinal cord just oscillates between them, so any sudden movement, a cough, a sneeze, a stumble, a quick turn, and he can become a quadriplegic. They immediately put a mixture on him so that he could not move. He also damaged ligaments in his knee and tore his quadriceps, so his leg was put in a cast. For months he fell asleep sitting up with the halo around his head pressed against his chest.

From ‘his’ Liverpool and on to NZ

Surgery and recovery. And little by little he returned to training. But when his contract with her expired Liverpool, the club decided not to renew it. Everything he fought for will go to hell. It has been tested on Celtic, playing five games, until an MRI raised doubts about his knees and the Scottish club did not sign him. When all seemed lost, his agent came to him and showed him an email that was a ray of hope for his sports career: Wellington Phoenix of New Zealand It offered him a new opportunity to restart his sports career. I don’t doubt it. They had to move to another continent, another league and with a new goal: to show that there is still quality in their gloves.

He returned to the field of play on October 15, 2023 and, although it was with a loss (0-1 against City of Melbourne), their second match ended in victory over Western Sydney Wanderers FC (0-3). The third game of the season came out due to some discomfort. From the fourth game, he was the starting goalkeeper. The Wellington Phoenix They are in fourth place, four points behind the leaders and he has gained confidence. His return to professional sports was the success of the perseverance of the desire to feel like a footballer again. Welcome.