Chinwag: Zui Rizhamadze
Had a quick catch-up with young FC Kvartali player Zui Rizhamadze, who's spent the last few months on the sidelines after an ACL injury and is now itching to get back on the pitch for the upcoming season.
Zui Rizhamadze, FC Kvartali & Georgia U17/19
ZUI: The game was very intense. We needed a win to secure third spot. We finished the first half really well, and closer to the end of the second half, I felt something snap in my knee. I can’t remember the sound now, or how much pain I felt, if I’m honest. It was more of a shock. There was no contact [with the opposition player] whatsoever, and the ball was already out of play. There was no obvious reason for something like this to happen, but it did.
I went down, and Paso [Nino Pasikashvili, the team captain] was telling me to get up, as we had to carry on defending. After they used the spray on me, I stood up and realised it hurt a lot, so I walked off the pitch straight to the dressing room. I felt angry and scared at the same time. I had no idea what it was. The first doctor’s examination suggested there was no serious injury, but later the MRI revealed it was a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).
Falling down I hit a pitch-side board — many people even thoughtI had injured my head, not my knee. I jokingly said, ‘I wish I did.’
Not sure the bad news has properly landed even now (6 months after getting injured). When I go out I still try to kick a ball when I see one, which isn’t great for me. But oh well, I’m still a kid. Yeah, it probably took me about a week to figure it out, I felt confused, shocked and angry. Luckily I had family and friends by my side, so little by little I got to know what I was dealing with and it got better. Sometimes I even forget what had happened to me, because right now it doesn’t bother me that much anymore. I don’t even fully believe it was real at all, obviously because in my case the extent of the injury is slightly less severe compared to some other players. Every now and again I’m still thinking why it had to happen to me. But it’s much better now than it was before.
Some people didn’t realise i was injured. I had walked off the pitch on my own — it doesn’t usually happen this way.
Developing a new daily routine wasn’t easy — playing football has been a huge part of my life since I was 7. During the summer months it was a little easier, as I didn’t have to be at school; I just went to the gym on my own, doing the muscle training. If I’m honest, it was a bit of a joyless experience. Some people might like it, I certainly do not. These days I go straight to my gym after school — 2 to 3 hour daily workout, rinse and repeat. Of course I’d much rather be on the pitch.
Nika [Jgarkava, the club director] offered me a role, assisting him with the day-to-day running of the club. It helps me a lot, as I can stay in touch with the players. Plus, being able to help the team without being on the pitch felt great.
It gets better and it gets worse again, but eventually you get better. If I could say something to other players with long-term injuries, it would be this: there will be days when you feel like shit. Even if there’s no one around you, you’ve always got yourself, and it’s an important thing to remember — it helps you grow as an individual. Being on the pitch is the happiest time in your life. I haven’t got much advice for others here, as I was lucky to have my family and friends by my side. The one thing to remember is that it gets better eventually.
I’m able to train with the ball already, hopefully I can join team training next month, we’ll see. Would be nice to be ready for the next U17 camp, but I’m not sure I can make it this time around. Most likely I’ll just carry on with the U19 when I’m fit again, as I’ve played a couple of friendlies with the U19 and even got to wear the captain’s armband, which felt incredible. I’ll do what I can to experience that again.
