Gilberto on his 2004 back Injury
Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva admited he feared for his career as he worked through recovering from a mystery back injury.
"No matter what people said to me, I had to stay positive," Gilberto Silva said. "I had to think one day I would play again.
"Back in September, I had been playing in so much pain for several games.
"I knew something was wrong, but I did not know what it was.
"Eventually, after the Bolton game, I realised I just could not carry on.
"The doctors tried to find out what was up and a scan revealed something really bad. I could not believe it the day I was told I had broken my back.
"They told me I had to stop everything immediately and not to do anything at all - keep as still as possible and not to move my back.
"I was ordered to rest. It was so scary.
"The specialists designed a brace for me to wear to make sure I kept my back rigid.
"I had to wear it for three months and it was uncomfortable - I hated wearing it.
"I know people were saying my career was over and I was worried and concerned.
"But after six weeks, I had another scan and it showed that things were starting to heal."
