Why Villarreal goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo is the unluckiest man in LaLiga

Following Real Madrid’s come-from-behind victory over Villarreal at the Ceramic Stadium there were many talking points to discuss.

The return of the entire ‘BBC’ to the starting line-up, the controversial penalty decision and the accusations of the referee walking out of the stadium with a Real Madrid bag. All of which occupied most headlines the following morning but the real news of the evening was Sergio Asenjo suffering his fourth knee ligament injury.

It seemed innocuous at the time. A deep cross was sent in by Marcelo and it was met by a combination of Victor Ruiz and Karim Benzema.

Asenjo, as he’s done so often this season, showed his wonderful reflexes by almost hanging in the air to claw away the goal bound effort. Yet Asenjo stayed down, holding his foot and wincing in pain. Inside the ground I thought he’d just clattered the post but, even on the replay, there seemed to be nothing in it. Yet sadly there was.

After a few minutes of treatment the goalkeeper continued for as long as he could although it soon became clear something was seriously wrong. He sat down on the floor again, signalling he had to come off. You knew then this was more than a knock and sadly for Asenjo, who has previous with serious injuries, the worst fears became a reality for the fourth time in his career: he’d ruptured his cruciate knee ligament.

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We’ve seen footballers bow out of the game following a single major operation on their knee, unable to return to the form or prominence they once held. It takes an incredible amount of mental strength as well as work in the gym to come back. In that sense Asenjo has an advantage – one I know he’d rather not have – in that this is nothing new having already returned once to Villarreal’s first team following the same injury.

“I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve this.” This is what Asenjo told Villarreal’s goalkeeper coach Jesus Unanua when he suffered his third cruciate ligament injury back in April 2015. Anyone who has seen the incident which occurred against Atletico Madrid will understand and feel his pain.

He came to clear a corner and when he landed his knee gave away. The screams of agony as he lay on the floor are tough to hear and see even now. No one deserves that and less so somebody who had already suffered two serious knee injuries in the early stages of his career.

For many, this was supposed to be the end of the line for Asenjo. No one expected him to recover from such a nasty looking injury. After six months he was optimistic about his chances of returning to first team football but refused to mark down any specific date, only when he was ready. Asenjo said it was “incredibly hard” to be injured and that he’d spent “a lot of months in the gym, on a hospital bed” and he was able to run on his knee in October 2015. He wouldn’t return until five months after that date in March 2016 having spent almost eleven months on the injury table.

It takes an enormous amount of mental strength to keep fighting on. To come back once is tough, twice even more so, but four? And it’s that hunger, that desire which makes Asenjo so well loved in Spain. You see fans put aside their rivalries in wishing him nothing but the best as they admire and respect the courage he’s shown to repeatedly overcome the odds when it would’ve been much easier to throw in the towel, accept defeat. Like the Terminator though, the man himself is certain he’ll be back.

“I’d like to thank everyone for the messages of support and encouragement that I received throughout the night. I don’t want to disappoint any of you and [I want] to recover from this injury.” It feels like this is no longer Asenjo’s personal battle but a collective one. When people gave him no chance of returning to action, let alone his highest level, he proved everyone wrong.

Villarreal have the best defensive record in the division and it’s worth noting that all of Real Madrid’s goals came after he’d been substituted. He’s kept 11 clean sheets in the league this season, 12 if you include this weekend’s match against Madrid.

Since December 2008 he’s missed over two years of football due to knee injuries. The initial return date floated around was for September which is probably being optimistic and it’ll be nearer Christmas, or even early 2018 before he’s ready to play again. All of this is dependent on how his operation goes as well as his recovery and hopefully no set-backs.

If he takes 11 months to return like last time then he’d be approaching almost three years of football missed through injury – and the guy will only be 28!

“When you’ve had so many [injuries], you know the work that needs to be done. I feel capable of returning, I’m 27-years-old and I want to continue enjoying the beautiful world of football.”

Asenjo has received support from all over the world. It’s in these moments where football and loyalty become secondary and you wish nothing but the best for a fellow professional. Julen Lopetegui, the current Spain manager, said: “All the best, Sergio. You’re a fighter. You’ll get back up again and we’ll be waiting for you.” Roberto Soldado told Asenjo to “keep his head up” and that he hopes he’ll be back with the team soon. Thibaut Courtois also sent a message saying “No one can teach you how to return. You’ll be back.” Sergio Ramos commented on the incident too as well as people in other sports.

Sergio Canales, who has suffered three serious knee injuries himself, posted this on Twitter: “There are things which are unexplainable. What you could explain is how you returned from four serious injuries. Show us again what it’s like to fight for a dream.”

If anyone can come back from this, it’s Sergio Asenjo. As much as example of how cruel this sport can be, he’s also a massive inspiration for those fighting to reach the top.

Animo, Sergio. See you soon.