What did the 90 million midfielder who defeated the kidney disease and suffered a serious injury in the end?

Every summer, football is a farewell season. But among many news this year, one news seems very special: 30-year-old Saul bid farewell to Atletico Madrid, which has been playing for at the age of 13, and freely transfers to Brazilian team Flamenco.

Anyone who doesn't know him very well is surprised because Saul, who has a peak value of 90 million euros, is actually far away from the mainstream European leagues at this age. Fans who are familiar with him are even more sad because ten years ago, Saul finally survived the shadow of the ruptured kidney and made a shining counterattack in his life. We all thought he would continue to write a beautiful story with Atletico Madrid, but...

Even though the relationship remains unchanged, it is gradually moving away in different directions.

The genius boy

Saul Niggs was born in an Elche family with a strong football atmosphere. My father played for Elche when he was young, and both brothers embarked on this path. The eldest brother Jonathan later played in the B of the Segunda Division, while the second brother Aaron played in the Segunda Division, so well - according to the laws of mathematics, the third brother Saul is destined to become a La Liga player.

Of course, his ability to play in La Liga is definitely not due to the arranging sequence. In fact, it is because he was taken by his second brother to play football with his classmates since he was a child. In the small court on the streets and alleys, this kid has shown two traits that have been praised later since childhood.

One of the first is that you are not afraid of confrontation. "At the age of four, I compete with my nine-year-old kids and fight with me. Looking back, maybe this is why I have become more mature than my peers."

The second is to play every position. "If you are led by your brother, you can only choose the defender that no one wants to be. But when you go to school, I must be the brightest forward!"

This experience of being led by a big man to beat monsters with a higher level quickly made Saul stand out among his peers and attracted the attention of scouts from big clubs. And this club is not ordinary big, its name is: Real Madrid. At the age of 11, Saul left his hometown with the blessings of his whole family and joined Real Madrid's prestigious youth training camp, and moved into a boarding school in the capital. I thought this was the peak of my debut, but I didn’t expect it to be a psychological shadow for my whole life.

Because in the youth training camp, this child from a small town in southeastern Spain was regarded as a countryman and was bullied by the indigenous children of the capital. Teammates hid his sneakers, snatched his milk and bread, locked him in the room before training, and sent a letter to the coach in his name complaining that he "had clearly played the best, but he wasn't the right place to be."

Such a life almost made Saul end his football career when he was 13 years old, but fortunately he didn't have to fight alone. After learning about the matter, my father and brothers comforted and informed me, and reported the situation to the coach. It just so happened that Real Madrid's U12 coach received an invitation from Atletico Madrid. He really couldn't bear to stay and continue to be bullied, so he took him with him when he changed jobs.

Dingdong, another classic story of "Atletics from Real Madrid comes from Real Madrid" was born.

At Atletico Madrid youth training camp, Saul continued to jump to the level and play with older children, and continued to start from the backcourt, but each level was getting ahead because of its outstanding performance.

15 years old, Fulham was defeated by him in a youth team game and made a transfer offer on the spot. The Atletico Madrid youth training supervisor smiled and said, "What do you think."

17 years old, he came on as a substitute in the Europa League and made his first-team debut for Atletico Madrid. Not long after, he scored twice in the B-team version of Madrid derbyri, occupying a corner of the cover of "Marca".

19 years old, after making his La Liga debut, he was loaned to Vallecano and played 34 games in a single season. Manchester United scouts were photographed appearing in the stands three times, and there were also news that Atletico Madrid had rejected the price in seconds.

Everyone thought that this was the real beginning of a great story. However, when he returned to Atletico Madrid after his loan, an accident that directly affected his career and his entire life occurred in his UEFA Champions League debut in February 2015.

"Pick off one of my kidneys, I just want to play football."

At that time, Saul and Leverkusen player Papadopoulos collided while competing for a high-altitude ball landing point, and were hit hard by the Greek defender's right knee in the left kidney position. He rolled on the ground in pain and forced himself to last for more than 10 minutes, but in the end he couldn't stand the request to replace him. After a simple examination, the team doctor immediately called an ambulance to take Saul to the hospital. The next day, Atletico Madrid chairman Cerrezzo said at a press conference: "A good young man, Saul's kidney was destroyed." In fact, modern medicine naturally has ways to deal with kidney rupture and internal bleeding, but this is completely different for a young player who is just 20 years old and is raising the ball.

Combining the condition and personal wishes, the doctor provided two solutions.

Plan 1 is to play the ball for one month and then take a month off. But how is this possible for today's professional players? Saul chose Plan 2 without thinking.

Solution 2 is to leave a catheter in the body and continue to live and compete like this, the price is that you will feel its existence as soon as you run.

"The catheter can move me, but it hurts. You can feel the kidneys bleeding and will urinate. But the problem is that if I remove it, my kidney will not work properly. So I really can't stand it, so I told the doctor, please take out my left kidney. Anyway, people can survive if they have a kidney. This way, they can go back to the court after a month of rest. I just want to concentrate on playing well."

Fortunately, the doctor rejected this crazy idea and told Atletico Madrid assistant coach Burgos who came to visit the disease.. Burgos himself had experienced the torture of kidney cancer and almost removed one of his kidneys. When he learned of Saul's bad idea, he ran to scold the young man in anger.

"He told me what he had experienced and felt like he was about to beat me up. He looked into my eyes and said, 'Think about your life, think about your family, what if there is any kidney problem in the future!' It was Burgos who saved me, and we inserted the catheter back."

It was not just Burgos, but Saul also received a lot of help from people around him during his recovery.

When he was injured, his father followed the ambulance to the hospital. Later, during the entire treatment process, my father was busy and shed more tears than he himself.

Mother and two brothers also participated in the recovery process as much as possible, especially the second brother Aaron who took Saul to play football. He was also the main midfielder of Spain's U19 and U21, and received official bids from Barcelona and Chelsea. However, a sudden knee ligament tear made the genius boy no longer interested.

So, he could understand Saul's feelings best.

"Saul, you told me that I would definitely be able to find my best self. I am very grateful that I am still able to run, twist my body and turn around, and do anything. Now you are the same. All we need is time, stick to it!"

In this way, with the support of everyone around me, Saul, who is very tenacious, slowly learned to coexist with the catheter in his body. In life, he began to change to vegetarian food to reduce the burden on kidney metabolism. On the training ground, he and Atletico Madrid team developed a more scientific recovery plan to reduce unnecessary confrontation while maintaining intensity.

"Those who can't kill you will only make you stronger. Maybe this sentence is just a cliché to many people, but it's true to me."

Yes, Saul is back and really becomes stronger.

"Want to be the best midfielder"

Four months after that kidney rupture, Saul once again made headlines in the Champions League, and this time it was truly shining. In the first leg of the semi-finals of the 15-16 season, he crossed four players in a row in the first 10 minutes of the game against Bayern, and made a wonderful one-stop goal.

This precious goal eventually helped Atletico Madrid reach the Champions League final with the away goal advantage.

But this is just the beginning.

In the second year of the U21 European Youth Championship, he once again gave a one-stop masterpiece against Portugal in the group stage. He wore a hat in the semi-finals within 20 minutes, almost bringing Spain into the finals with 5 goals, and also took away the Golden Boot of that event. It was also in this year that Saul finally removed the catheter in the kidney and made a nine-year appointment with Atletico Madrid.

Why does it take nine years for a row? Because the whole world football has begun to notice that the piece mined by Atletico Madrid youth training camp is simply a diamond rough stone.

First of all, he is extremely capable of running. Both the central and wing forwards can play, and they are running at any position and dominate the rankings. I can still play for forty or fifty games every season, and I can't tell at all that my kidneys have suffered serious injuries.

Secondly, he is good at attacking and defending. In terms of defense, he has won the La Liga single season steal king. He has an extremely fatal back insertion in the offense. He can dribble and protect the ball. His left foot is stable and accurate, and his right foot is a world wave.

Finally, he is still a big scene that is inconsistent with his youth, and he can produce his masterpiece every season.

14-15, scored against Real Madrid. 15-16, in addition to the 1V4 that played against Bayern, he also had an external instep assist against Barcelona. 16-17, three goals were recorded in the Champions League knockout round, and Real Madrid was also included in the background board. 17-18, he shot from Barcelona and headed the ball to Chelsea. 18-19, Dote scored a goal, and volleyed to kill Real Madrid.

Look at these ghosts under the sword, how many players can have so many top highlights throughout their careers? So there was a joke back then: What should you do when Atletico Madrid encounters a tough battle? Don't panic, Better Call Saul!

During that period, it was undoubtedly the peak of Saul's career. The price of Germany once reached 90 million euros. At the same time, due to the defeat of the Spanish national team in the Russian World Cup, countless fans began to look forward to a complete rebuilding. They said that in fact, Cork and Saul's style of playing football is a bit like the tough version of Xavi and Iniesta, and Spain will be at the Atletico style in the future.

Atletico Madrid fans say that it doesn't matter whether they can bear Spain, what is important is that we hope 68.com will last for the rest of our lives.

Saul himself said: "From the time when the kidney ruptured, I knew that I had to give everything to all those who love me, for my family, for Atletico Madrid. So, I want to be the best midfielder in the world."

However, fate has quietly ushered in another turning point.

The epidemic has changed the world and changed many people. Saul became a purer vegan, further rejecting eggs and dairy. Of course, he has been basically vegetarian for many years before, so the impact may not be very big.

The real huge change is still coming from the football world, specifically the "Godfather of Atletico Madrid" Simeone.

I loved deeply, but different roads

Simone once claimed to be a loyal believer of 442, and did not pay much attention to the wingers in the lineup, and he often lined up the four major MCs in the midfield, one-line snake formation. But as Felipe and Juan Fran grew older and left one after another, Atletico Madrid never found a single person to take charge of the full-back. Cork and Saul had to share other tasks, so they began to expose their respective shortcomings: one assisted defense movement was completely unreliable, and the other passed the success rate was ridiculously low.

As the wind of the three defenders blew across European football, Simeone started a comprehensive transformation of Atletico Madrid. There is no room for him to shoot in the right half of the court, so Saul, who is used to use his left foot, can only play mainly on the left. The cooperation between Carrasco and Lemar on the left is obviously smoother, so he has become a dual alternative for the left wingback and the left midfielder.

Then, it gradually faded.

Diversity, once proud of the label, suddenly became a cage that imprisoned him. At the age when the most needed to show stable performance, Saul can indeed fill the team with the lack of people again and again, but his effect is limited to filling the pit. Who is the one who is wrong? What Simeone prioritizes is always and must be how to maximize the interests of the entire team. Saul himself knows very well that no one is a perfect player. Everyone wants a system that best plays out their strengths and covers up their shortcomings, but he has never obtained such a core position.

It may be true that no one is wrong, because both of them have a clear understanding of themselves and each other.

Simone said in an interview a few years ago: "Saul talked to the club about his needs and wanted to choose a position he thinks is more important. He is very important to Atletico Madrid because he can play as any of the left back, right winger, three midfielder or two midfielder. I believe this versatility has brought his current achievements, but he and the people around him think it is a negative factor. We have known each other for eight years and have spent a lot of time. I know Saul's expectations and pursuits better than anyone else. But now if Lemar is in good health, I still have to choose him."

In the summer of 2021, Atletico Madrid needs to release salary space to welcome Griezmann back, and Chelsea extended an olive branch to Saul in time. He walked out of La Liga for the first time as a loan.

Taking this opportunity, he revealed his thoughts to the reporter. "I feel as good as I always have, but I still feel trapped. Because I am not playing in my position, my brain can't accept my new role as a left-back. This has been going on for three years, and I have talked to Simeone several times. I owe everything to him, and we still have a good relationship. But he has to be selfish and think about the team as a whole." Before leaving, he said again: "Leaving Atletico Madrid is the hardest decision in my life, but I want to try it out and see what will happen. I want to rebuild some of the playing styles I don't have now because I want to see the real Saul, not the way you've seen in the past two years." Unfortunately, for a 27-year-old player, restarting his career is a very difficult task. Saul did not leave much memory in the Premier League, and we will never know what level he could have reached if he was really trained as a tactical core when he was young.

We only know that he has always loved Atletico Madrid deeply. In the Champions League after returning in 2022, Atletico Madrid lost to Porto in the group stage and was eliminated at the bottom. The 2,000 fans who went out with the team shouted the slogan "You don't deserve this jersey", and the other players ran back to the locker room, and only Saul stood in front of the stands and listened for more than five minutes.

We also know that he really wants to find his former self. So last season, I went to Sevilla on loan and terminated my contract with Atletico Madrid in advance this summer and defected to Felipe, an old teammate who promised to give him the most suitable position.

The farewell letter is written like this: "I love you, Atletico Madrid was, is, and will always be everything for me. Thank you for all those who have met me in the past 17 years, without exception. I sincerely thank you, especially the person who saw potential in me: Diego Simeone. Now is the time to start a new journey, but I will commemorate that special day every year. On March 8, 2012, the day I made my debut on the team I loved for my life."

"Thank you, Atletico Madrid."

Just like classic stories such as "La La Land", maybe there is no right or wrong in the relationship between the two, and Saul's deep feelings for Atletico Madrid have not changed. But their respective paths lead to different distant places, and the final outcome can only be separation.

Perhaps, for world football, this is just a difficult time to reiterate. But for Saul, being able to get out of the shadow of kidney rupture ten years ago and leaving a moment of shock in his career is already a very amazing achievement. For Atletico Madrid fans, they will think of every desperate fight with the "dog teacher" and every exciting goal facing a strong opponent.

At that time, I just thought it was ordinary, but I remembered it for the rest of my life without realizing it.