Two great on crutches. For example, Vivianne Miedema and her partner Beth Mead were on the red carpet tonight in Salford, where the prestigious Athlete of the Year awards ceremony was held.
Mead is considered the favorite of the year’s most important British sports award. After all, he was the star of the English footballers who became European champions in their home country last summer. But at the end of November, Mead tore his cruciate ligament in his knee during Arsenal’s league match against Manchester United.
And last week the same thing happened to Miedema in Arsenal’s Champions League match against Olympique Lyonnais. Both stars have to worry about the World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand this summer.
The British sports premiere is a beacon of hope in dark times. “It was better…” Miedema said. “But it can happen to anyone, and I think it’s more about Beth tonight.”
On his chance for a miraculous recovery for the World Cup, “It will take a long time. I will have surgery at the beginning of January. And then there will be small steps and then I hope to be back in shape by early January for next year’s season. The World Cup is unrealistic. Of course I would like to be there, but I also hope to be able to play football for a few more years. And that comes with a lot of risk. If a miracle happens, I can be there. But I will be there, not because of him.”
Last month, Miedema raised the alarm about the busy schedules of football players these days. Does he see a link with Miedema and Mead’s knee injury? “Hard to say, but suffice it to say that five of the top 20 players have suffered from cruciate ligament ruptures in recent years. It seems that now it can happen in any area at any time. And I think we should expect much more serious injuries.”
“The game schedule needs to be adjusted. FIFA and UEFA, but also all federations should come together. Right now it’s just about playing more games because then more money comes in. It’s about the fun, but not the health of the players.”
Wiegman: “Overcrowded schedule doesn’t help”
Sarina Wiegman stood proudly on the red carpet. The successful coach led the British women to the European Championship title and was named coach of the year at the British premiere.
Wiegman understands what Miedema is saying: “If you come from a top country and you play in all tournaments, then you have a big tournament five summers in a row. And that is without giving the players enough rest to recover. After all, you have to.” Look at individual player and stamina. However, it is clear that the crowded schedule is not helping.
Still, tonight can be a special night at Mead Miedema House. Winning the Athlete of the Year Award is nothing. “I had no idea until last week,” admits Miedema.
“But I think it’s huge. Beth sure had a great year. It would be really great if he could end the year on a positive note. I’ll watch on my knees, and Beth will watch. And hopefully we can win a prize to take home tonight.”
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
