‘His skin turned grey…he could not speak’ – partner update on former Barcelona goalkeeper Rustu Recber’s coronavirus

The wife of former Barcelona goalkeeper Rustu Recber has spoken of his battle with the coronavirus, revealing how ‘his skin turned grey’ and how he ‘could not speak’.

Now aged 46, the retired former footballer is currently in hospital having allegedly been infected by his wife, as reported Miliiiyet via La Vanguardia.

“The last 72 hours have been very difficult and I hope that from now on they will be better. I want to give infinite thanks to all those who are with us, by our side, right now,” his partner has said to Fanatik, as cited by Marca.

“This is the battle of being against a new virus that has changed in size and is not known to the human body. Early detection are very important. This virus does not stay in the throat or nose, it moves quickly and nests in the lungs, where it arrives instantly to multiply and start pneumonia.

“The first 72 hours are very critical. Rustu had a fever for days and hours. Strange symptoms that he has not experienced, felt or seen before. He suffered from strong weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite.

“His skin turned grey, like his lips. He breathed fast and had difficulty in doing so, in addition to a cough that did not end. He also could not speak and he had an irregular pulse.”

Turkey’s most capped player won 120 caps and was one of the players of the tournament when the nation reached the 2002 World Cup semi-finals.

Rustu retired in 2012 after a five-year stint with Besiktas having made seven appearances for the Catalan giants in the 2003-04 campaign.

He is said to have almost joined Arsenal in 2003 from Fenerbahce but had a late change of heart and moved to the Camp Nou, where he was the deputy to long-term goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

He was admitted to hospital for care where he was put under isolation over the weekend and is now under constant care having tested positive for the global pandemic.

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