Salvador Cabanas Returns to Soccer After Recovery
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Former Paraguayan striker Salvador Cabanas makes a dramatic return to his former home ground in Mexico City. He miraculously recovered from a gunshot wound in the head that nearly took his life a year ago.
Thousands of ecstatic football fans gather at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium on Wednesday to watch Salvador Cabanas in his first game since making a comeback after being shot in the head last year.
[Jorge, Football Fan]:
"I think it needs to be open, so fans can have the chance to see Cabanas kicking goals, the recovery that he has made and so we can see him return."
Cabanas was shot in a Mexico City nightclub in January 2010, months after helping Paraguay qualify for the World Cup in South Africa.
Football coaches for both America and Paraguay talked up the striker's miraculous recovery.
[Carlos Reinoso, America Coach]:
"It is a blessing that he has his health. It is a blessing that we can enjoy (this match) and that he has his health after such a horrible event. To see him dressed in the football shirt for Americas and for Paraguay is a blessing."
[Francisco Arce, Paraguay Coach]:
"He is a well-liked guy and I think it's a blessing that after all he has been through to be strong and healthy and to be with his friends is the most important thing. Whether he was going to return or not is a secondary concern."
Cabanas, nicknamed "Marshall", played for eight minutes for America in the first half and 10 minutes for Paraguay in the second of a friendly at the Azteca, his former ground, that ended 0-0.
The bullet remains lodged in Cabanas' head because doctors feared trying to remove it might cost his life.
Following hospital treatment in Mexico and rehabilitation in an Argentine clinic, Cabanas' swift return to professional football has made him more popular among fans.
Former Paraguayan striker Salvador Cabanas makes a dramatic return to his former home ground in Mexico City. He miraculously recovered from a gunshot wound in the head that nearly took his life a year ago.
Thousands of ecstatic football fans gather at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium on Wednesday to watch Salvador Cabanas in his first game since making a comeback after being shot in the head last year.
[Jorge, Football Fan]:
"I think it needs to be open, so fans can have the chance to see Cabanas kicking goals, the recovery that he has made and so we can see him return."
Cabanas was shot in a Mexico City nightclub in January 2010, months after helping Paraguay qualify for the World Cup in South Africa.
Football coaches for both America and Paraguay talked up the striker's miraculous recovery.
[Carlos Reinoso, America Coach]:
"It is a blessing that he has his health. It is a blessing that we can enjoy (this match) and that he has his health after such a horrible event. To see him dressed in the football shirt for Americas and for Paraguay is a blessing."
[Francisco Arce, Paraguay Coach]:
"He is a well-liked guy and I think it's a blessing that after all he has been through to be strong and healthy and to be with his friends is the most important thing. Whether he was going to return or not is a secondary concern."
Cabanas, nicknamed "Marshall", played for eight minutes for America in the first half and 10 minutes for Paraguay in the second of a friendly at the Azteca, his former ground, that ended 0-0.
The bullet remains lodged in Cabanas' head because doctors feared trying to remove it might cost his life.
Following hospital treatment in Mexico and rehabilitation in an Argentine clinic, Cabanas' swift return to professional football has made him more popular among fans.