.png)
Xabi Alonso 'sliced his knee open' before the 2010 World Cup semi-final and had a panic attack before alerting the doctor about his bloody wound.
Just 'ten minutes' before meeting up with the Spain national team to leave for their semi-final clash against Germany, Alonso 'severed his knee from side to side' in a shower mishap.
He cut his knee from a shard of glass after the shower door came loose from its hinge.
Advert
Alonso's bathroom looked like a 'scene from Psycho', according to the national team doctor Dr. Juan Jose Garcia Cota.
The Spanish midfielder had a panic attack that stopped him from bursting into tears.
He told Diario AS: "Blood always shocks, but in this case, what shocked me was seeing my knee with a cut from side to side from which the fat attached to the skin and the muscle tissue exposed.
"The only pain was internal. Goodbye to the semifinal and the World Cup final. I couldn't believe it. The panic attack and anguish that I suffered surely prevented me from bursting into tears."
Advert
Dr Cota said: "When I enter the room, I find Xabi pale and shaken, almost in shock.
"He had covered his knee with a towel to open the door for me. He was drenched in blood, the bathroom looked like the shower scene from Psycho. It was totally a crime scene.
"He only managed to tell me imploringly: 'Doctor, for God's sake, do what you want but I have to play.'
Advert
"I still retain his words in my head."
Dr. Cota had a fight between his head and heart over whether or not he should allow Alonso to play.
"My head told me that it was impossible for Xabi to play and that he had to inform the coach. It was a fight between the head and the heart," he added.
Advert
"I had many doubts about whether to tell Vicente [Del Bosque] what had happened and I still have them. I don't know if I did the right thing, but I went with the wounded one.
"Let's say that Xabi's gaze won out over reason."
Alonso ended up playing with a bandage wrapped around his knee as Vicente del Bosque and his teammates had no idea about his accident.
He featured in both the semi-final and final against Germany and Netherlands, respectively, as Spain won the World Cup.
Topics: Football
Nasir Jabbar