MEXICO -- Pablo Aguilar broke his silence.
Until now, the leader of Cruz Azul's defense had maintained a low profile since he suffered a serious left knee injury on February 18 in a Concacaf Champions League match against Portmore United in Jamaica.
"Honestly, I didn't want to talk about this because at that moment millions of things went through my head and I preferred not to speak, not to say anything, I preferred to distance myself this month and something," says Pablo Aguilar exclusively to ESPN.
At first, the Paraguayan-Mexican naturalized center back believed he had escaped ligament damage, but days later an MRI confirmed that he had a complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament, an 85 percent rupture of the medial collateral ligament, tears in both menisci, and even a micro-fracture in the bone.
It is the worst injury of his career. Pablo Aguilar will be sidelined for 6 to 8 months and at some point even considered retiring.
"At first, to be honest, I thought 'I don't want to risk it', even retire, many things went through my head but now that I'm walking again after a month and something, doing strength training again, I'm starting to enjoy it again," says Pablo from his home in Mexico City, where he is celebrating his 33rd birthday with his closest family.
"Little by little, I am opening up, showing the progress of my recovery, little by little I am speaking up, now I am more calm. But at the moment when it happens (the injury), many things go through your head and it is better to keep quiet and distance yourself a little from the whole subject."
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His family insisted that as his rehabilitation progressed, he would see things more positively and now Pablo only thinks about recovering 100 percent and playing again.
"Those who have helped me have been my family, my wife, my children, my mother-in-law, my father-in-law, my mother, my father, really my whole family. I didn't want to risk it anymore, the pain one feels at that moment and already being about to turn 33 years old, having an injury like this costs a little more, but after thinking about it and listening to my parents and my wife, one starts to assimilate everything."
Pablo Aguilar remains positive as he completes his seventh week of rehabilitation with Cruz Azul's physiotherapist, Daniel Saucillo, with some sessions at La Noria and others at Saucillo's private clinic.
The experienced defender knows that the road is long, but he is determined to return to playing as a professional.