Chelsea signed Saul Niguez in late August of 2021 on a season-long loan from Atletico Madrid only to spend the first four months in England on the bench. So far, he’d only featured in five Premier League matches for the Blues, but he’s not letting that get him down. As his brother Jonathan says, Saul knows how to deal with adversity.”I know how desperate Saul is to play and impress everyone at Chelsea. I also know what he is capable of.”Saul has been through a lot in the past six years.Saúl recordando en Mega lo que le pasó en Leverkusen hace 2 años. Tremendo. pic.twitter.com/w8LmPucTG5— Rafa (@RafyAtm17) April 16, 2017 During Atletico’s UEFA Champions League game at Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, he suffered a strong kick to the stomach from an opponent – one that would cause serious kidney problems. That night Saul ended up in the hospital and was required to use a catheter to empty his bladder in two painful years that followed.He was playing with an internal catheter. Remarkably, something he managed for two years. The sacrifice saw him play in huge discomfort while putting his health at risk. At one point, Saul was willing to have the problematic kidney taken out just so he could continue to play football without the constant pain. “The catheter gives you functionality but it was sore, you’d feel it running, and I was urinating blood. The problem was when we took it out, my kidney didn’t work properly. It was getting complicated so I just told the doctor to take the kidney out.”New Chelsea signing: ‘I asked Simeone to play my position and he told me I can leave’It was at that time that the wise words of Atletico’s assistant manager Herman Burgos.”Mono Burgos was so important. He came to me: ‘The doctor says you’re talking about taking out your kidney. You’re 22! What are you talking about? Use your head and think about your life. What if you get a problem with the other one?’ There’s no way out. And we put the catheter back in.”Thankfully, the days of kidney pain are long gone, but the spirit of not giving up and fighting against the odds has remained with the 27-year-old Spaniard. Jonathan believes his brother will shine for the Blues.”He is realistic and he never thought it would be an easy road. He is a new player fighting for a place in a team that is European champion. Also, the midfield is of great quality and perhaps the strongest part of Chelsea’s team. But my brother is not someone to throw in the towel easily. He loves a challenge and is also stubborn. When he has something on his mind, he fights until he gets it. I can tell everyone at Chelsea that his heart and heart go out to the club. He doesn’t think about giving up, he just hopes he gets his chance.”ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE – ROUND 19Liverpool – Leeds United POSTPONEDWolverhampton – Watford POSTPONEDBurnley – Everton POSTPONEDSundaySun 16:00: (1.75) Tottenham (3.70) Crystal Palace (5.40)Sun 16:00: (1.22) Man.City (7.75) Leicester (13.0)Sun 16:00: (1.95) West Ham (3.60) Southampton (4.20)Sun 16:00: (7.25) Norwich (4.50) Arsenal (1.50)Sun 18:30: (5.20) Aston Villa (3.60) Chelsea (1.80)Sun 21:00: (2.05) Brighton (3.40) Brentford (4.10)**odds are subject to change
