Elabdellaoui Returns after being Left Clinically blind in firework accident

Former Manchester City and Hull right-back Omar Elabdellaoui has made a remarkable return to football more than a year after being left clinically blind when a firework exploded in his face.

Elabdellaoui’s accident occurred on New Year’s Eve in 2020 and left him wondering whether he would ever be able to see again, let alone resume his playing career.

But following 11 surgeries – including an ocular stem cell transplant from his sister, Ikram – the 30-year-old finally returned on Monday, playing all 90 minutes for Galatasaray as they picked up their first win of 2022 away to Goztepe in the Turkish Super Lig.

Elabdellaoui told beIN SPORTS after the game: “I went through a difficult process. It was a difficult injury. I struggled a lot

“I’m back on the field and doing what I love most. It’s my dream come true for the second time. It felt like I started football for the second time.”