Rabat – Morocco international Ilias Akhomach has spoken about the serious injury he suffered in November and his long road to recovery. In an interview with his club’s official channel, Akhomach shared his experience of how he injured his cruciate ligament last November.
Akhomach suffered the injury during Villarreal’s match against Deportivo Alaves on November 9. After scoring his first La Liga goal in the 38th minute, Akhomach went down just five minutes later.
Medical tests confirmed that he completely ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and also sustained a sprain in the internal lateral ligament of his right knee. He will likely need six to eight months to recover.
Akhomach recalled the difficult moment when he received the diagnosis. “Something inside me kept hoping it wasn’t serious. I was with my older brother, and we both believed it was nothing. But when the doctors finished the tests and told me I had torn my cruciate ligament, everything hit me at once. I wasn’t expecting it at all. I just stayed silent,” he said.
The player described the moment as unforgettable. “My brother and I were there, and neither of us said a word for about five to ten minutes.”
He said he was in shock until the doctor reassured him, though he said the recovery process would be long.
Akhomach admitted that the toughest part was waiting for the test results. “That was the hardest moment because I was thinking about everything. I kept hoping it wasn’t serious, but when I found out, I felt very down. That day was really difficult for me.”
The Moroccan player also talked about the pain he felt after surgery, which he said was “very strong,” as well as the emotional struggles that followed.
“The pain was strong after the operation, but after two weeks, I started to feel better,” he said. But the most frustrating part for the young player was “watching your team play while you can’t help them.
Despite the challenges, Akhomach is trying to stay positive and having his family around has helped him immensely.
“Having my family, my parents and siblings close to me helped a lot. Life gives you things and takes others away. Right now, I’ve lost time doing what I love the most, but in the end, you learn from these experiences,” the player said.
