VIRUS WAS WORSE THAN CLIMBING KILIMANJARO
‘It’s been tough, it really knocked me’ says fitness fanatic Rodgers
BRENDAN RODGERS said being in the grip of Covid-19 left him feeling like he was climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
The Leicester City boss scaled the 19,341-foot Tanzanian mountain in 2011 while manager of Swansea. But the 47-year-old, who prides himself on his physical fitness, revealed the terror of realising something was horribly wrong just over a week after lockdown. He sensed all was not right and then wife Charlotte, below, started to experience symptoms as well.
He said: “I wasn’t well and it was later detected that I had the virus. My wife also had it.” He realised something was seriously wrong when he was becoming breathless just walking a few yards.
The Northern Irishman said it was a feeling that he had only experienced once before – when he climbed Africa’s highest mountain to raise money for cancer.
Rodgers said: “It’s like you can hardly walk 10 yards in front of you and suddenly you’re blowing.When I was climbing Kilimanjaro, you get to a certain altitude and that’s what it felt like with your breathing.
“It really does knock you. I also had a headache and it was a headache that was different to anything I’d had before.
“It felt like it was isolated on one side of my head.Your appetite goes; you can’t smell; you can’t taste and you feel weak. “I was thinking ‘Christ, if I don’t have the virus, then what is this?’ It has been tough, but it really makes you appreciate your health.”
Because of the lockdown and suspension of domestic football, Rodgers did not have a chance to tell his players immediately but made a point of doing so the minute they were all back together.
Rodgers said: “I felt it was my duty to do so. I’m fine now and I’m still getting tested twice a week along with the rest of them.You can’t take any risks with this.
“So Mondays and Thursdays, we’re all tested. Like I say, I’m fine now. Once I got over that three weeks, I slowly started exercising again.
“There was a period when I couldn’t do that, but now I’m back to six times a week.”
Rodgers said that having experienced the virus first hand and initially having doubts about the season restarting, he is now convinced every step has been taken to ensure the safety of players and staff.
He said: “It’s been a long, long time but, step by step, getting back and playing was something we’ve all been working to.
“I think everyone had a concern about if it would be safe, but we have followed everything to the letter and I think players can actually see the difference at the training ground.
“I said to them, ‘If you are not happy or you have any fears there’s no pressure on you’. But I think all the players can see the work that has gone in and they are raring to go.
“There’s a lot of work gone on to ensure that we would have arguably the safest environment in the country. I think the Premier League have done a very good job.
“When I came back to the training ground I felt very much at ease – I think we’re as safe as we possibly can be.
“Were there fears? Absolutely. We’ve seen the deaths every day and how it is affecting families.
“Yes, football is an amazing sport. It’s our life and it’s our world, but that shouldn’t ever come above anyone’s health.”