Baba Rahman, a Ghanaian defender, has talked candidly about his mixed feelings about his time at Chelsea, acknowledging that he is disappointed that his 2015 move didn’t work out as planned.
Rahman agreed to a five-year contract with Chelsea for an unknown sum that was first estimated to be £14 million but could potentially increase to £22 million. The left-back only made 23 first-team appearances for the Blues in eight years at Stamford Bridge, mostly as a result of numerous loan stints and a string of ailments.
Rahman remarked, “I am sad things didn’t work out at Chelsea,” in an interview with BBC Sport Africa. Due to my several severe injuries, I was unable to provide my best assessment because I wasn’t completely fit.
The 30-year-old cited Eden Hazard as the finest teammate he had while playing for Chelsea, but the person who had the biggest influence on his career was Dr. Paco Biosca, the former medical director of the team. Rahman attributes his decision to stay active despite sustaining a second ACL injury to Dr. Paco.
Rahman told BBC Sport Africa, “I owe them a lot because Dr. Paco was the one who persuaded me not to retire after my second ACL injury.”
Rahman came close to quitting football in 2019 after suffering his second ACL injury, having only just returned from another serious knee injury the previous year. “It had taken me 18 months to come back, and when the doctor told me I had another ACL injury, I decided that I had had enough,” he recalls.
“I told my family I was quitting. But Dr. Paco said that he had seen other players come back and promised that if I was patient and mentally strong, I could do it too. I slept on it and then decided I wanted to fight for my career.” Now, Rahman is grateful for the second chance football has given him, and is focused on enjoying every moment of his career. “I’m just trying to enjoy it to the last moment.”
