Something not alot of people know. Eduardo has broken someone elses leg before in football.
'Why I forgave Eduardo for breaking my leg'
By Jonathan Wilson
Last Updated: 12:57am GMT 02/03/2008
A bad challenge resulting in a sickening injury; a player helpless on the pitch, his career in jeopardy; horror at the incident turns to anger at the tackler. Events at St Andrew's last Saturday brought back bad memories for Marijan Buljat. The only difference being Eduardo da Silva was the victim rather than the culprit.
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Not that Buljat ever blamed Eduardo for the injury that put on hold a hugely promising career which now seems almost to be back on track. He, like Eduardo this time around, seems to have retained a remarkable sense of perspective amid the furore. While a Croatian website has attracted over 30,000 names calling for Birmingham's Martin Taylor to be banned for life and the newspaper 'Jutarnji List' referred to him as an "executioner", Eduardo, perhaps aware of how easily such things can happen, has been forgiving.
Shared pain: Eduardo's perspective on his injury comes from enduring both sides of the experience
"It was just an ordinary day in training," Buljat remembers of the first Dinamo Zagreb session after the winter break. "We were working on some one-on-one situations. I was quicker than him. I got to the ball first and he caught my leg in a scissors tackle."
Buljat knew immediately the injury was serious and examinations soon revealed that he had suffered a badly broken fibula in his left leg. "After I realised what had happened, my first thought was that I would never make it back on to the pitch," he said. "I was really afraid. But after the surgery I spoke to the doctors and they told me that I would play football again.
"I knew I had to be strong, and that I had to be mentally calm so I could start playing again. For me, the most important thing was to find the mental strength to carry on. I started to run easily after four months, and after seven months I did not feel any pain."
He had two operations, but after arduous rehabilitation was able to return to action in July last year. Injury kept the 26-year-old out for all of November, but he still featured in eight league games before Christmas. A return to the national side, for whom he has played twice, remains a long way off, but he insists he is still getting stronger.
advertisementEduardo, who joined Arsenal from Dinamo last summer, shouldn't even have been there. He had been home in Brazil over the winter break but, despite being offered an extra two days off to recuperate from his flight, he had insisted on joining up with the rest of the squad.
"Eduardo was more shocked than I was," Buljat said. "I remember him telling me that he was feeling very bad, that he felt worse than I did. But I was never mad at him.
"It's part of the game. It happens. It might have been me who hurt him. That's life." He may seem phlegmatic, but Buljat was as horrified as anyone by the double break his former team-mate suffered. "It was horrible," he said. "My brother was watching the game and he rang me and told me what had happened. I turned on the television and I saw the medics on the pitch trying to help him. Later on I saw what had happened, how Taylor had injured him.
"I remembered everything I had been through. But this was much, much worse. I feel really bad for Dudu [as Eduardo is nicknamed]. After my injury we became very close, and we were great friends while he was playing in Zagreb. I sent him messages wishing him a quick recovery."
Having spoken to him, Buljat is convinced that Eduardo's attitude is right, and he believes he will return. Doctors have estimated a nine-month recovery period, but Buljat knows that it is not just about physiology.
"Dudu called me a week ago and we've talked a lot," he said. "He will be back. Nobody should be in any doubt about that. He is a strong and brave guy who knows how to face troubles in life. We spoke a lot about what happened to me. I know how he feels, but he will come back a better player. I'm sure of that."
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