Curaçao footballer Gervane Castanier made a remarkable comeback after suffering a serious eye injury in 2017. Despite losing 30% of the vision in one eye, he did not give up and became a major player for his country.
Story of football: A small country with a population of only 1.5 lakh is going to make its mark in the world – Curaçao. 21 players from that country take the field in Houston. But this moment is very emotional for one of them. He is thinking how he will contain this noise of people within himself. The name of that player is – Gervane Castanier.
Just before the World Cup, his father wrote a letter to Castaner. It was written in that.
“My dear friend, my pride, the day we saw that ball in your little feet, we knew there was something special about you. It was not just talent, but a dream that cannot be expressed in words. You lived for football, dreamed of becoming a professional footballer and made it come true.”
“But, that January of 2017 changed everything. You went from the most beautiful days of your life to a dark phase. The world only saw the hurt in your eyes, but the pain, uncertainty, fear and tears behind it. Only we saw all that.”
“It felt as if football was going away from you, but you never gave up. Even when the world had given up hope, you kept fighting for your dream. Today I am very proud of you, the whole of Curaçao is proud of you. Lots of love.”
By the end of the letter Castanier’s eyes filled with tears. He might have remembered that January day.
Castanier then played for ADO Den Haag, the second-tier league of Dutch football. That day the match was against PEC Zwolle. Castaner became the hero of his team in the tenth minute of the match. But there was something more waiting for him on the field than the joy of scoring a goal.
A quick shot hit Castanir directly in his eye. Suddenly there was darkness before his eyes. Sounds started echoing all around and the ground must have been felt shaking.
The team doctor ran to Castanir. He held the doctor’s hand and walked out of the field. Castanier still could not understand what had happened. He asked the doctor, “Can I play with one eye? Just tell me yes or no.” His question was so simple, as if a speck had gone into his eye.
There was a tear (a kind of tear) in the retina of his eye due to being hit by the ball. This injury not only affected his eyesight but also pushed his career into darkness. The vision in one of his eyes remained limited to 30%. This was the time when German club FSV Mainz had signed a contract with Castaner, but this serious eye injury put brakes on that dream.
But Castanier did not consider these days the end of anything. His goal was clear – to return to the field. Even on the hospital bed, he used to think only about this. The following year, Castaner wore the Kaiserslautern club jersey and subsequently played for seven more clubs.
Born in the Netherlands, Castaner joined the Curaçao national team in 2018. His boots continued to score goals for Curaçao as well. In the World Cup qualifier round, Castanier played eight matches and scored five goals. He gave that small island nation moments that will be remembered by future generations.