Last Saturday, Wylan Cyprien took part in the 5th Edition of the event entitled “Health Objective” at the Théâtre National in Nice.

Speaking on the theme of “Sport, benefits and drawbacks?”, the midfielder spoke at length about the injury he suffered in March 2017 (torn cruciate ligament) and the lessons that he has learned from it.  

The 23 year old spoke especially about the period leading up to his injury: “It was a period during which I was almost at my best and in those conditions, you can’t afford to slow down. I knew that it was going to happen, but I kept that to myself. After putting in high effort levels, I was recovering less well, I had little niggles across the body the day after training, but I didn’t want to listen. I should have calmed down for a week or two, to rest a bit. My body was talking to me, but I didn’t speak about it. Today if I feel the same thing, I would talk about it.”  

Prevented from playing football for many months, the man who has 89 Ligue 1 matches in the bag (and 69 in Ligue 2) admitted that this event allowed him to “completely change his vision. I am aware of things in life. My focus has changed a lot. I have opened myself up to different things. I met with lots of sportsmen during my recovery but also people that had car accidents - that allowed me to relativise lots of things. I was a closed book before my injury. There was pleasure, but it wasn’t the most important thing.”  

Reinforced by this experience, the former captain of RC Lens has used it to help his teammates: “When I have a teammate who wants to force things with a slight niggle, I give them advice. Everyone benefits from my experience.” 

Well received by an audience made up of a mix of sector professionals and other people not involved with health issues, the former French youth international’s talk came to a close with an improvised photo and signing session.

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