“I remember everything about the accident, but I didn’t realise [how bad it was] straight away."
In September Crystal Palace defender Pape Souare suffered a broken leg and jaw in a car crash, forcing a halt to the 26-year-old's career.
Six months on Souare is still on the long road to recovery and, speaking openly for the first time since the incident, says he has a new-found outlook on life as he aims to return stronger both on and off the pitch.
"I couldn’t move my leg and knew it was something serious," he told cpfc.co.uk.
“When you are a football player you think that nothing can happen to you, so because of this kind of situation I have learned from and I think every player can too. It has changed me; it has given me life experience.
“I believe that everything happens for a reason, so I want to work as hard as [my team-mates] are outside because I want to be strong like them."
