Conor Coady on Raul Jimenez's return from fractured skull



It is almost a year to the day that Wolves forward Raul Jimenez suffered a fractured skull in a terrible collision with David Luiz, and could have died from his injuries.

The dramatic tale of how team-mates feared for his life as he lay prostrate on the pitch, and his remarkable recovery and return to the top flight, is chronicled in a new documentary.

It was released the same day as the Mexico international scored Wolves' winner against West Ham at Wolves' stadium and was saluted by the whole stadium singing his song, Si Senor.

In an interview with the BBC Sport, Wolves captain Conor Coady talks about the journey that his team-mate and close friend has been on in the past few months, and what it meant for everyone at the club to see him regain his health and rediscover his best.

We didn't know if he was alive.

Wolves were playing a game at an empty stadium in front of millions of people, but behind closed doors because of Covid-19 restrictions.

The ball was at the near post after 15 minutes after David Luiz and David Villa challenged for it. There was a clash of heads, and the impact of the collision left him unconscious on the floor.

When it happened, I was standing next to him. I knew it was bad when he was out cold. He had blood coming from his nose.

When I was an apprenticeship at the University ofLiverpool, I was told that when things happen, you should keep people in the recovery position so their airway is clear. I told the other players to leave him.

In a situation like that, you don't know what to do. You just need to get them on.

It was the worst situation I've ever been in, just to see a friend like that. Our medical staff is excellent and the doctor and the physios did a great job.

One of the players on the scene realised how serious the injury was. He was taken to the hospital after being treated on the field.

The doctors kept me in the loop after the game because they wanted to keep the boys informed of what was happening.

It gives me goose bumps now that I'm talking about it. We were all worried about getting the man back, not about the footballer or whether we would get him back.

The most important thing was for his little girl and his wife, so we wanted him to be OK health-wise.

When I watched the film for the first time, I saw some pictures I hadn't seen before and it really hit home about what he went through and what kind of character he is to be playing now.

Nuno said that the injury was serious.

We knew we'd got him back.

The huge scar from his head injury was hidden under a woolly hat, but about three weeks later, he returned to the training base. He was still thinking about his return to action, even though his mobility was still impaired.

I will never forget seeing Raul for the first time. It was a beautiful moment.

He came over while we were training. He was chatting away and he was normal. It was amazing to see. I knew we had gotten him back.

At that moment, we were just happy that he was here and we could see he was all right, we didn't care about football, we were just glad he was here.

It wasn't long before he was training with us again. He's always been like that.

The film shows that he is a huge part of the dressing room. Everything you see in the documentary is what he is. He is someone I can speak to about anything, but he is always willing to have a laugh too.

The team-mates gave him a stick because he had to wear a huge helmet in order to take part in their head-tennis competition during his rehabilitation, and it gave him something of an advantage. "He was smashing the balls, winning every point, and all the guys were going 'this isn't right!'" said Coady.

I've spent a lot of time with him and he is always so nice in the way he speaks to you, which is why we were such close friends in the first place.

He tries to affect the people around him in the dressing room and he's the same on the pitch.

He has been the same since he joined Wolves, with what he gives us in training and in games. His willingness to work is something that has always stood out and that is something people don't usually see.

Even if he was just on an exercise bike or jogging around the pitch, it was great to have him back.

I think the documentary shows his bravery and his character, not only to get through the injury, but to still be himself.

I feel pride more than anything.

After the incident, he walked out to play in the Wolves' opening game of the season atLeicester on August 14.

His first goal since returning to action came a few weeks later, with the winner againstSouthampton on 26 September, and they have kept coming since, for club and country.

Coady and the rest of the Wolves team celebrate with their teammate.

At the end of last season, I asked the doctor how long it would be before he was back. I knew the difference he made to our team, so I was probably being selfish.

It was great to have him back playing for us, but we are starting to see him as the player he was before his injury, and it is just a pleasure to see.

When we lost him last year, we missed him a lot. The things he is doing for us as a team are incredible.

He sets everything up for us when he's not scoring goals. He knows how to use the press and when to use it, and he is always the first one to defend from the front.

His goals are next. He beat a couple of men and put it in the corner at Saints, it was like the old Raul. Then there was the chip againstEverton and the strike on Saturday which was just out of this world.

I know what he has been through and I am proud to see him back at this level.

I hope he knows how much his team-mates love him and how much the fans and everyone at the club think of him.

The fans sing his song a lot now that he's out, it's fitting because we spent so long without any supporters.

They would have sung his name when he wasn't playing, so to hear it now means a lot to everyone.

Chris Bevan was speaking to Conor Coady.

301 days after his injury, he scored his first goal.