Sandro opens up on injury nightmare: 'I had doubts I'd ever play again'
Las Palmas forward Sandro has spoken candidly about the mental and physical toll of a long-term knee injury that kept him out for more than half the season.
Sandro has finally broken his silence on what sounds like an absolutely brutal few months — and it makes for some pretty emotional reading.
A long road back
The Las Palmas forward has been speaking to the club’s official radio channel about his drawn-out knee injury, and he didn’t hold back. This wasn’t just a physical battle — the mental side of it was clearly just as heavy, if not heavier.
His knee had been giving him grief the previous season too, but the decision to go under the knife came during pre-season, after the joint simply wasn’t responding the way it should. The medical staff initially weren’t seeing anything dramatically wrong, but when the squad rocked up in Marbella for pre-season training, it became obvious the knee wasn’t having any of it — and surgery was the only way forward.
Setbacks and more setbacks
What looked like it might be a relatively short spell on the sidelines dragged on and on. Every time Sandro felt like he was getting somewhere, he’d have to take a step back again. That kind of cycle is genuinely demoralising — ask any footballer who’s been through it.
The mental toll was real:
- He admitted he had genuine doubts about whether he’d ever play professional football again
- His family shared those same fears — which tells you how serious the situation had become
- He described it as one of the most difficult experiences of his life, full stop
That’s not the sort of thing a footballer says lightly.
The moment it all became worth it
Here’s where it gets a bit lovely, though. Last weekend, Sandro got the call-up — and when the news came through on the Friday, he was so buzzing he said he couldn’t even get a kip in the afternoon.
When he finally stepped onto the pitch, the Gran Canaria crowd gave him a reception that clearly meant the world to him. “That ovation the fans gave me was very emotional” — and honestly, after everything he’s been through, who could blame him for getting a bit teary about it.
Why this matters
Sandro’s story is a reminder that football injuries aren’t just about physio sessions and scan results. The psychological weight of not knowing when — or if — you’re coming back is something that doesn’t get talked about enough.
For Las Palmas, having him back fit and firing (or at least fit) is a proper boost as they grind through what’s been a tough Segunda División campaign. The fans clearly haven’t forgotten what he means to the club, and that ovation will have done more for his recovery than any ice bath ever could.