STOCKHOLM (AP) โ Sweden midfielder Kristoffer Olsson hopes to make a full return to top-level soccer as he continues his recovery from an acute brain injury that has kept him in hospital for a month.
Olson was hospitalized in February. After suddenly losing consciousness at homewho remains in a neurological rehabilitation centre, made his first public appearance since his illness on Sunday, watching Danish club Midtjylland win the domestic league title. gameOlson carried the trophy and drove around the field in a cart to applause from fans.
In an interview with Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet on Monday, Olsson said he was confident of a full recovery and that he was “dreaming of returning to the team and training again.”
Olson, 28, was diagnosed with tiny blood clots in his brain as a result of an extremely rare vasculitis, and while he was put on a ventilator in hospital, he said he has no memory of the three weeks he spent “close to death.”
He said he is now making steady progress in his recovery and has already started kicking a ball at the rehabilitation center.
“I played a little bit of soccer here the other day with one of our staff members,” Olson said. “She was the goalkeeper.”
But it remains unclear when Olson will be able to return home and resume his normal life, much less play professionally again.
“Obviously I want to come back as soon as possible and I want to fight for it,” he said, “but I'm not stressing about it. It will take time. But I can move well, I can run well, my memory is good. I'm getting better every day.”
Olsson has made 47 appearances for Sweden, most recently against Estonia in November, and will join Midtjylland for a second time in 2022, having previously played for Belgium's Anderlecht, Russia's Krasnodar, Sweden's AIK and English club Arsenal's youth teams.
He said it felt great to be back at the stadium for Midtjylland's victory celebrations but was also quite exhausted.
“Watching live football and seeing my team and people I know well was the atmosphere I missed,” he said, “and hearing the supporters sing about me and the team… it was great to be there, but there was so much to take in that it got tiring quickly.”
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