French international Laurent Koscielny will be missing the World Cup after a horrific injury sustained while playing in the second leg of Arsenal’s Europa League Semi-Final match against Atletico Madrid.
Koscielny said that he heard a huge crack and he knew that his tendon was gone.
“I knew right away that my tendon had let go,” he said. “The pain was not usual, I felt a terrible break.
“My first reaction was to say to myself, “It’s dead, my tendon has burst’. I screamed on the pitch… excruciating pain.”
He also added that he initially thought he had been tackled by Atletico frontman, Diego Costa
“When I fell, I thought it was because Costa had tackled me,” he said.
“But not at all. I looked around me and I was all alone. I immediately knew that my tendon had gone. The pain wasn’t normal, I felt a terrible rupture. And I heard a huge crack.
“Costa, who wasn’t far from me, heard it too. My first reaction was to say, ‘It’s done – my tendon has snapped.’
Knowing fully well that he would miss the World Cup, Koscielny said he’s made his peace with it and had turned to other things to keep his mind off the disappointment.
When asked about how he is getting through his recovery, he said;
“My programme? Television, crosswords and Nintendo,” he said.
“I am now wearing a boot, which allows me to walk on crutches.
“In three months I hope to resume light jogging. In five months I could certainly retouch the ball.”