During a medical examination in January, Winterthur striker Roman Buess was diagnosed with a thrombosis in his head. The 31-year-old has been out of action ever since. He talks to blue Sport about his time of suffering and comeback plans.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- In January, Roman Buess is diagnosed with a thrombosis in his cerebral veins. "It was a shock at first," recalls the Winterthur professional.
- Just a month ago, the doctors were not sure whether he would ever be able to return to the football pitch.
- Buess continues to fight and is rewarded for his perseverance. The 31-year-old has been back in team training for a few days now and is hoping to make a comeback soon.
Headaches and nausea caused Roman Buess repeated problems for weeks at the end of last year. The 31-year-old gritted his teeth and simply carried on playing until the winter break. On January 2, however, nothing works anymore. Buess barely made it out of bed, let alone to the start of FCW training. Buess then undergoes a thorough check-up and receives the devastating diagnosis: thrombosis in the cerebral veins.
Before the game between Winterthur and Servette, Buess looks back on the difficult last few months for blue Sport and talks about his comeback plans. "It was a very long time, I have to say. It was a shock at first. At the same time, I was also glad that we found something and were able to treat the whole thing."
At the beginning, however, he wasn't quite able to assess exactly what it meant. He had actually hoped to return sooner, says Buess. "But unfortunately I wasn't able to. I'm now feeling better again and I think I'll soon be back on the pitch."
The doctors painted a bleak picture
He himself never actually doubted that he would be able to continue his career. "I knew from the start: I definitely want to come back. No matter how long it takes. I will also come back."
But, of course, he also had to listen to the doctors: "And it didn't sound so good not so long ago. In other words, I was relatively close to things going in a different direction. That's why I'm all the happier that I'm on the up again," says Buess.
What do you mean not so long ago? "About a month ago, I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to play football again. That was very difficult, of course, because I knew I really wanted to get back on the pitch. But now I'm here and I think it's going well."
Buess has learned to appreciate the little things
Buess has never felt alone in all this time and is correspondingly grateful. His family has always been there for him, which is "very nice and not to be taken for granted". But the club and the whole team also gave him support. "It was really, really nice how they looked after me." All of this gives him a good feeling and is also an incentive to work even harder.
blue Sport reporter Natalie Barros wants to know whether he feels that the diagnosis has also changed him as a person. "I think it has to a certain extent. People always say that health is the most important thing. And everyone is actually aware of that. But I think when you're really in a situation where a lot of things are uncertain, you think about things differently."
He has really learned to appreciate the little things even more, such as going for a walk in the fresh air. Or even just being with the team again. "It's incredible how happy I am when I'm on the pitch with the team. Yes, very nice."
The question remains as to when we can expect his comeback. "It's difficult to say. I've been out for a long time, to be honest," explains Buess, before giving a vague prognosis: "I was allowed to start team training this week. I don't know how long it will last. It's certainly the case that physically I'm not yet at the level I'd like to be. I plan to be back on the pitch in a few weeks at the latest."
Roman Buess has played 155 games for FC Winterthur so far, scoring 55 goals and setting up a further 22. In June, his contract was extended by one year until the summer of 2025 despite his illness and the uncertain future that comes with it.
