Former EPL Star Who Went Blind After Accident Makes Miraculous Return to Football After Regaining Eyesight

• Omar Elabdellaoui plunged the football world into panic on the eve of the New Year in 2020 when he lost his eyesight
• The former Man City defender is understood to have been involved in a fireworks accident at home
• The unfortunate incident damaged his eyes and left him with burns on his face, with doctors giving him a minimal chance of regaining his eyesight
• However, the 30-year-old has since made full recovery and even returned to action as he featured in Galatasaray's 3-2 win over Goztepe

Former Man City defender Omar Elabdellaoui has finally made a full return to professional football more than a year after he lost his eyesight.

Elabdellaoui was named in Galatasaray's starting XI, which stunned Goztepe 3-2 on Monday, February 21, in the Super Lig.

The Norway international played the full 90 minutes of the clash as Domenec Torrent's charges picked up their first win of the new year.

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How Elabdellaoui lost his eyesight

The former Hull City star is understood to have lost his sight through an accident on New Year's Eve 2020.

The horror incident occurred at the player's home, leaving his eyes completely damaged and his face burnt.

"The damage to the eyes of our player who has burns on his face will be understood after further examinations," a Galatasaray statement said at the time.

Elabdellaoui's road to recovery

The 30-year-old has been fighting to regain his sight since the 2020 incident, with doctors initially giving him a 5-10% chance of getting his eyesight.

“Because of all the gunpowder my face was burned. I think it was difficult for them to say how bad it was straight away," he explained to The Guardian.

According to Mirror UK, the former City academy star needed 11 surgeries to save his sight.

Fortunately for him, he was once again able to see and initially returned to Galatasaray's bench for a game against Kayserispor at the start of February.

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He was finally able to make a full return on Monday, playing a key role in his side's crucial win.

Arsenal in talks to sign Napoli star

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Arsenal have intensified their push to sign an experienced midfielder at the end of the ongoing season.

Mikel Arteta was looking at strengthening his midfield during the January transfer window but missed out on key targets.

Reports now suggest the Gunners have opened talks with Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz with the view of bringing the player to the Emirates.