Wednesday 19 October 2011

Kontis takes heart from APOEL misfortune

Reference: UEFA.com

29. August 2011, Christos Kontinen received a blow. Six days after celebrating his eligibility for APOEL FC in the UEFA Champions League group stage, and complained of weakness after the goalless draw AEK Larnaca FC. Tests showed he had suffered a heart attack, and would retire from the game.

"It 'was something that rarely happens athlete like me," he told UEFA.com. "I used to take care of all my life, I've never smoked, I had a good professional life, so all my health tests before it was returned to the full."

His teammates were surprised too. "It was a big shock," said the Brazilian striker Ailton APOEL. "We were just sitting together on the bus when he went to the hospital with the doctor, but no one knew about it. And the next day I heard that a friend was hospitalized with a heart problem, so I went to visit him the same thing. "

Medical accounts was denied a chance to compete with Europe Club Premier, but the former Panionios FC, Olympiacos FC and AEK Athens FC defender think some good came out of it too.

"Doctors took care of me, so now I have my life," he said. "It's like it never happened. I feel great. I feel better every day. This is not something that will stop my life. I am active as before, I can play football, tennis and other sports that I like to play but had no time, or elected not to because I did not want to tire myself. "Now I have a different life, and I really like". "

The 36 years was also supported peoples reaction to his situation. "I had so much love and support of my teammates, friends, people I do not even know," he said. "I get emails and phone calls every day. I can not find words to describe how I feel, but it's nice how people think of me. And it gives me the strength to continue because life never stops. "

It does not take FC Zenit St Petersburg, FC Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Porto in the fall, but has revealed that there is more to life than the beautiful game.

"Life is the most important thing," he said. "I have a family, I have two kids and my wife. And this is now what I think. Football is one part of me. I loved it. I gave it everything, but now I can't help but see things from another point of view. "I see everything differently now. I see that my health is the most important thing. And now I have a new life ahead of me"."


1 comment:

  1. Last words of post said by Kontis are just great. sometime a tragic shock change you thoughts. Such incidents change your perspective of life.

    ReplyDelete