Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Sergio Rico has come out of a coma after sustaining serious head injuries in a horse-riding accident three weeks ago.
The 29-year-old was taking part in an annual pilgrimage in Andalusia on May 28 - one day after PSG sealed the Ligue 1 title - when a "serious mishap" involving a horse and cart saw him airlifted to hospital in Seville.
Rico was admitted to intensive care and fell into a coma, and as his condition began to gradually improve, he was briefly taken off sedation two weeks ago.
However, Rico was placed back into a coma only a few hours later - albeit in a stable condition - and the Virgen del Rocio Hospital have since ceased regular updates while his treatment continues.
Now, Telecinco reports that the Spanish shot-stopper has now awoken from his coma, and he was able to recognise his relatives and communicate with gestures.
Rico's wife Alba Silva addressed the media outside the hospital, confirming the positive news on her husband's recovery but insisting that "a lot of patience" was still required.
"Well, we're still there, taking little steps forward, we're already seeing the light," Silva said. "Little little by little, I already knew from the beginning that he was going to get ahead, but little by little, you have to have a lot of patience."
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Following Rico's accident, PSG paid tribute to the goalkeeper in their final Ligue 1 home game of the season against Clermont, donning shirts with his name on the back during that 3-2 defeat.
With 16 minutes gone in that contest, PSG fans participated in a minute's applause for Rico - who wears the number 16 jersey for the French champions - before Kylian Mbappe held up a goalkeeper's shirt with Rico's name on the back after scoring a penalty.
Rico's former club Sevilla - whom he represented for 14 years between 2006 and 2020 - also wore shirts in support of the 29-year-old ahead of their Europa League final triumph over Roma three days after his accident.
Rico joined PSG on loan for the 2019-20 season before making his move permanent at the end of the campaign, and he has largely served as an understudy to Gianluigi Donnarumma and Keylor Navas at the Parc des Princes.
The Spaniard has kept 14 clean sheets in 24 games for the Ligue 1 champions in all competitions, but he did not make a single appearance for Christophe Galtier's team in the 2022-23 campaign.
Rico has also represented Fulham and Mallorca during his career and has made one appearance for the Spanish national team, replacing Iker Casillas for the final 16 minutes of a 6-1 friendly win over South Korea in 2016.
Ben Knapton
