“I had to be saved by a plastic surgeon”. Jean-Philippe Mateta opens up about his horrific injury
Crystal Palace player Jean-Philippe Mateta shared the details of his gruesome head injury treatment, which was inflicted by Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts. He discussed this in an interview with L'Equipe.
Mateta admitted that he feared his skull was fractured and that blood might enter his brain, but it turned out that the most damaged part was his ear, which was virtually destroyed. The Frenchman stated that he was lucky to reflexively turn away before the impact, which meant the blow landed not directly on his head but on his ear. If not for this, the consequences could have been even more severe.
“A plastic surgery specialist came and took pictures of my ear, which he refused to show me, so as not to let them stay in my head. Obviously, it didn’t look like an ear any more. At the beginning of the operation, the surgeon had a lot of trouble, but afterwards, as he explained to me, he found a way to save my ear. He did a hell of a job,” Mateta shared.
The footballer also noted that he now needs to handle his ear very carefully, washing it after sweating to prevent infection. Additionally, during matches, he will have to wear a protective mask.
Yasmine Green
Dailysports's expert
Translated by the editors
