You've been without football for four months, that must have been hard.
"It's been a long time. The first month was difficult because, after my first surgery, which happened right after the injury, I had to wait for another one. I was dependent on crutches, on the daily help of my family, I couldn't do anything on my own. It was only when I started my rehabilitation that I had one thing in mind - to get back on the field as soon as possible and in the best possible shape. That's what drove me forward and still does."
What was the most difficult moment during the aforementioned period?
"It probably came right after it happened, because I knew 99% that I was going to miss the championship, which I had been thinking about for an awful long time, since the failed push to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. And then when I was at home during the Euros and the whole country was living the tournament, I suffered a lot."
You haven't spoken to the media since the injury. You didn't want to open that wound?
"The first days were very difficult. I didn't answer anyone's messages, I turned off my phone completely, I was just with my thoughts. I was ready to do an interview only when I somehow rearranged my thinking. However, I didn't rush into it. The Euros were going on and I didn't want the team to be dragged into the fact that something happened before the tournament so that they could just focus on the championship. I also didn't want to draw any more attention to myself than I had.
"Then, when I went to Holland and was in full rehab, I just focused on myself and didn't respond much to outside messages. I closed in on myself and probably did the best I could."
Let's go back to the beginning of June when the national team was in camp ahead of the Euros in Austria. Just at the end of it, they played a preparation game against Malta, beating them easily 7-1 and you took over the team as captain during the game. How did you feel?
"Wonderful! Every match in the national team is an honour for me, and when I could put on the armband after replacing Antonin Barak... It's a dream for every footballer to be captain of the national team in any match. We played with a lineup full of young guys, you could feel the energy on the pitch. I really enjoyed it."
At that time, did you already have indications that you could be a member of the starting lineup at the Euros? Did you talk to any of the coaches about it?
"I didn't. From the beginning of the training camp, I rather had the feeling that I wasn't counted on to be in the starting lineup. From the very first training session, we practised certain things and I was in the second lineup preparing for the game against Malta. Then there was a certain part of the squad who were preparing for the warm-up match against North Macedonia.
"However, I knew that in football certain things change every training session, so I didn't have it in my head. I was concentrating on the game against Malta, I wanted to show my best and thus claim my place in the squad. I didn't think about whether I would be in the squad for the Euros at that moment."
And then, the next day, there was that unfortunate moment. Can you describe it?
"It was a day off and we decided to go for a ride on the tricycles. We had been on them two days before, and a teammate was the first one to try them out and said it was a good way to relax. Everything was fine until it happened. And then my life got really dark..."
How serious was your injury? The first information was that it was a laceration in the shin area. A lot of fans might thought it was a scratch and that you'd still make the Euros. But you've been out of the game ever since...
"As soon as it happened, I knew the championship wasn't very realistic. The wound was quite deep, I had to go to the hospital, and within two hours I was in the operating room. What happened put quite a lot of pressure on my body, I couldn't put any weight on that leg for a while.
"The day after that I moved to Prague, I spent a week in a hotel and went around for various checks and examinations. From these, it became clear that it was not just a laceration, that there were various tears, fractures... It was not pleasant to hear. It was very shocking news for me, definitely not how I imagined it would be.
"I'm the only one responsible for what happened. I paid for it with the valuable experience the Euros could have been for me."
Let's get a better idea of the accident. You were speeding down a hill on rented electric tricycles and...
"...They weren't electric. You're going down a trail that goes down from the top of the hill. The accident happened in a terribly unfortunate place. There's a ditch next to you all the way, except when you cross this bridge. There's a pipe that takes the water down the hill, and I drove my leg right into it..."
I'm going to ask you a trivial question. How much did it hurt?
"The impact was painful, but not enough to make me scream. I just said, 'Wow, something hurts.' Maybe the fact that I was wearing sweatpants saved me from a more serious injury. I rolled them up on my left leg and saw that the wound was very deep and that we had to get down as quickly as possible. It was still a mile and a half from any help. We got down, the tricycle people grabbed me and in a few minutes there was an ambulance there to take me to the hospital."
So you still had to drive down yourself?
"I had to. Not that I felt it, of course. It was worse mentally. I knew right away that it was very bad what had happened and I was also worried that the guys who were there with me might pay for it. I had so many things going on in my head that I was done for. I wanted to have some news as soon as possible about what was going to happen."
When your brother Lukas was on the podcast this summer, he said he was glad you were alive at all. Were you lucky it turned out that way and not worse?
"Absolutely. I kept having those thoughts for a week afterwards when I was in Prague at the hotel. I'm very conscious that it's very unfortunate what happened, but on the other hand, I was lucky in that it only turned out like that.
"I couldn't put any weight on my leg for 70 days afterwards. You realise how lucky you are when you have both feet and can stand on the ground with them. I think about that all the time.
"A few days ago I was in the stadium when Twente played Fenerbahce and I saw a gentleman there who has one leg missing and is on crutches. It immediately flashed through my mind and I thought to myself that there was no point in crying about what was, but rather enjoying what is. And do everything I can to make it like it was before.
"I had all sorts of thoughts in my head, and I have to say thank you for the incredible support. My teammates, my ex-teammates, my loved ones, my friends... I appreciate it so much. It helped me a lot in a difficult situation, especially in the beginning. I'm glad I have people like that around me."
What were the first reactions of your teammates from the national team and the coaches when you came to them with the injury?
"I was only in contact with the guys who were at the camp with me, and then only with the doctor who was with me in the hospital. I spent the night there and the next morning I went to the hotel to say goodbye to my teammates.
"Of course, it was emotional, I spend every training camp with them, we are together 24 hours, and even outside of that we call each other, we write. It was very hard for me, especially seeing them with tears in their eyes when we said goodbye. I wished so hard that it was just a silly dream, I would wake up from it and it would be the way it was supposed to be. Unfortunately...
"Afterwards, when the guys were playing and I got a picture of them holding my shirt in the team photo shoot and my shirt hanging in the dressing room where I would normally sit - I'm not going to lie, I was bawling at the hotel. Even at that point, I was looking forward to seeing the guys before the last group game against Turkey, which I made it to. I wanted to pay them back for the way they had supported me before."
You've already mentioned that it helped you to start thinking about the whole thing a little differently. At what point did that change come?
"After the first week, which was difficult. Checks, examinations, I had to wait to see what all happened. Then it was clear that I was going to have a second operation. Already in Enschede, the club doctors wanted to keep me under supervision. From then on, I knew that I would not be allowed to put any more strain on the leg, but I could start my rehabilitation.
"I said to myself: 'Give it your best every day, just like you did before the injury.' The prognosis wasn't very favourable, it was expected that the body wouldn't be able to respond to the load in an adequate way, and there could still be something reacting in it. I must also thank everyone in the medical team in Enschede. They have been taking perfect care of me."
How did the club and staff react to the news of your injury?
"I received full support. From my teammates, the coaches, the management, the fans, they are behind me. They couldn't believe it at first. They wanted me back with the team as soon as possible. I was very happy that they supported me from the very beginning and stood behind me, which wasn't a given. Some people condemned me for my behaviour, saying they didn't understand it."
