I played for Man Utd but was one day away from death when a tick in my beard infected me with Lyme disease
IN 2016, fomer Manchester United star Karel Poborsky was settling into retirement.
Some ten years after he had laced his boots for the final time for Czech side České Budějovice, he had grown a big bushy beard, travelled around the world and was seemingly loving life.
But a serious health scare left the Euro 96 hero fighting for his life.
Poborsky was hospitalised after catching Lyme disease in the most unfortunate manner possible.
According to the Express, it was discovered the winger who famously sported long curls had a tick living in his beard.
The nasty parasite bit and infected him, and that was the beginning of his horror ordeal.
Hospitalised and put in a coma
Poborsky needed immediate medical care.
He was rushed to hospital after contracting a brain infection that left his cheek paralysed and his eyes hypersensitive to light.
Doctors put him in an induced coma to allow his body to recover.
For three weeks he was placed in quarantine on an emergency ward before making a full recovery.
The 118-cap footballer, who played 48 times under Sir Alex Ferguson, later reassured fans on Facebook that he was out of the worst.
A photo he shared showed one half of face his clean shaven, the other still covered in bristles.
Poborsky addressed his nightmare in an interview with The Guardian in 2019.
He revealed that had he been seen one day later, he would have died.
“If I arrived at the hospital one day later than I did, this interview would not happen,” he said.
“I arrived at the hospital too late to find out the root of the infection; they put me straight into a coma. After I woke up, they asked me what my name was and the seven times table.
“All of my face muscles were paralysed – it was an infection of the brain. I spent three weeks quarantined in hospital on powerful antibiotics, directly to the veins.
“I couldn’t eat, I had to keep my eyes covered because I was so sensitive to light. I was very scared.”
Full recovery
Thankfully, Poborsky made a full recovery from Lyme disease.
In recent years, the midfielder has returned to Old Trafford to play in several charity games.
Back in 2022, he turned out for Man Utd Legends against Liverpool Legends.
Before that in 2019, he appeared alongside David Beckham for Man Utd Legends against Bayern Munich and Andy Cole in a match against Barcelona Legends.
He even caught up with his old boss, Sir Alex Ferguson.
Capturing the moment with a photo on Instagram, Poborsky captioned the snap: “My boss. Thanks a lot for this match!”
However, he’ll always be remembered for starring for the Czech Republic in the 1996 European Championships in England.
His infamous lob goal in the quarter finals against Portugal was one of the best of that tournament.
It encouraged Sir Alex Ferguson to splash £3.6m on Poborsky, who despite playing second fiddle to David Beckham, managed to become a fan favourite from 1996-98.
Not the only sports star to catch Lyme disease
High-profile Hollywood stars including Ben Stiller and Richard Gere have been struck down with the devastating condition over the years.
But for England rugby legend Matt Dawson, it was also nearly as devastating as when Poborsky had it.
He had to undergo multiple heart operations and endured 18 months of treatment after being bitten by an infected tick.
Dawson said: “I still have regular check-ups, I seem to be a lot better after my surgeries, but I still have an irregular heartbeat that I have to monitor.
“My lifestyle has changed, I can’t do as much exercise, I can’t socialise as much as I would like to, and you just have to adapt accordingly.
“It’s absolutely on the increase. It is incredibly scary because a lot of people will have it and they don’t realise they have it. It manifests itself in lots of different ways.”