Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez has revealed that he has been suffering from a bladder problem for the past two years.
Saul made a startling admission in an interview with Spanish broadcaster Mega on Sunday, with his condition requiring him to play with a uretic catheter.
“For the past two years, I’ve played with an internal catheter,” he explained.
“In every training session and game, I was urinating blood. I’ve had a bad time of it.
“I was playing with my health to wear these colours, to wear a dream.
“The Champions League is a dream that we all have and we’ll fight for many years to make it come true.
“We’ll play with our heart and desire to achieve it."
Saul took a heavy blow to his kidney region in a Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen two years ago, and Marca reports he felt dizzy and vomited seven times before reaching the dressing room.
The 22-year-old then had seizures in Atleti’s dugout and was subsequently taken to hospital, where he spent four days.