Hapoel Haifa midfielder in an interview with C14: "We opened the phone and saw darkness"

Special interview for C14: Serious injuries in sports happen at the worst possible moments, and that is exactly what happened to Ofek Biton. The midfielder, who was having an excellent season with Hapoel Haifa with three goals and five assists, was stopped at the peak of his momentum following a torn cruciate ligament last February. In a close and special conversation with C14, he recounts the difficult moments, talks about the complex rehabilitation, and explains why he is sure he will return stronger.

Ofek, I want to go back to the moment after you get the MRI results. You open the result – what is the first thing you thought about?

I remember that moment exactly. My wife and I are sitting on the couch after a sleepless night, opening the phone and seeing darkness. It took me time to even digest the meaning of it and understand what was waiting for me now. Of course, it was a difficult moment, but those who know me know that I am the most optimistic person there is. Pretty quickly my head moved from “why did this happen to me?” to “okay, what do we do now and how do I come back from this?”.

Was there a point in the rehabilitation where you said to yourself: “I don’t know if I’m capable of going through another eight-nine months like this”?

Yes, there was a point where I broke down. There was a period where I just preferred to be in bed, I didn’t want to see football and my appetite also dropped. In the first month, it was very hard for me to accept the situation and understand the path that lay before me. But slowly I managed to regain my optimism, and a lot of that is thanks to the people who were around me – the family, the friends, the surgeon, and the staff at the place where I am doing the rehabilitation. They helped me lift my head and start looking forward.

Was there a moment where you really considered giving up?

Never in my life. There were difficult moments, there were days when I broke down and didn’t want to see football, but giving up on football never crossed my mind. On the contrary, even in the most difficult moments, I knew I would return. The question for me was never whether I would return, but when and how I would return as best as possible.

Is there one person you feel that if they weren’t there, your rehabilitation would have looked completely different?

Definitely my wife. She was there for me at every moment, and in a period where you suddenly need help with the most basic things – from food, to a shower, and even getting dressed, she did everything with love and made me feel that I am not going through this alone. Beyond the physical help, her attitude and love kept me going even in the less good moments. Without my wife, there is no doubt that this rehabilitation would have looked completely different. They say that the player is the one who is injured, but in this case, I feel that we went through this injury together.

How do you deal with the fact that your friends are playing on the field and you know you can’t be there with them?

It is very difficult. Once you see the grass, the crowd, and your friends playing, you become even hungrier to return. Even when I watch a game on TV, I catch myself talking to myself, analyzing what is happening, and thinking about what I would do differently if I were there. The body might not be on the field right now, but the head is still there. The longing for football and the winning mentality, the desire to compete and win, did not disappear for a second.

What is the thing that scares you the most about returning to the field?

I think the first moments on the field will be mainly mental. At first, of course, there will be thoughts, about the movement, about the first struggle, and maybe even about the injury itself. My challenge will be to know how to let it go from my head over time, to trust my body and all the work I did in rehabilitation, and simply return to playing my football. I believe that once I get into a rhythm and start feeling the game again, these things will gradually disappear.

Before the injury, you felt that you were starting to build yourself up again at Hapoel Haifa. Do you feel that the injury stopped you just as you were getting on the track you wanted?

Yes, completely. I felt that I was getting into a rhythm and building myself up again. I finished with five assists and three goals in 20 games, and I am sure that if my season had continued, I could have contributed more to the team and also reached the personal goal I set for myself – 12 goal involvements in a season. That is why the injury came for me at a very disappointing timing, just when I felt I was on the track I wanted to be on. But I don’t want to look too much at what could have been. My goal now is to return and continue from exactly the same point.

Your contract at Hapoel Haifa ended in the summer. To what extent do you feel that this injury complicates your professional future?

I don’t think it changes too much. On the contrary, it opens up more options for me and gives me the possibility to think well about what the right step is for me. Ultimately, the club I will be in knows what kind of Ofek it is getting – a hungry player, with a lot to give, and I believe I will return even stronger physically than I was before the injury. For me, this injury is not something that defines my future.

What is your next step in your career? Are there offers from teams?

There are offers and there is interest, but I think it is still a bit early to talk about something specific. Right now, the most important thing for me is to continue the rehabilitation and reach a state where I am prepared in the best way possible. I believe that in the next month or two there will be developments, and God willing, I will make the choice that is most right for me and my career.

What is the thing you miss the most about football?

Celebrating after a goal. There is no substitute for it. That moment when the ball goes in, all the adrenaline comes out, the crowd, the friends running to you – for a few seconds you just forget everything. That is what I miss the most, and I am already imagining in my head the first celebration after I return.

Which moment from the rehabilitation will you take with you for your entire career?

I think what I will take from this rehabilitation is the understanding that even when another difficulty arrives, I do not give up. I underwent a relatively complex surgery, in the middle of the rehabilitation there was a suspicion of an infection and I was hospitalized for three days, and later I also underwent a manipulation on my knee. Every time you tell yourself that you have already passed the hard part and then something else comes. But like throughout my entire career, I did not give up and continued to believe in myself. Today I know that if I managed to deal with this period, it will be very hard for me to be afraid of something that will come later in my career.

Where will we see you in a year?

On the field. Smiling, enjoying football, healthy and whole. I want to see myself taking a cup and finishing the season with a double-digit number of goals and assists. After everything I have been through, I want to return to enjoying the game and prove first of all to myself that I can return even better.