West Ham United were honoured to welcome a very special guest to the club’s Rush Green training ground last week.
In November 2016, the football world was devastated by the news that a plane carrying Brazilian football team Chapecoense to their Copa Sudamerica final first leg against Colombian side Atletico Nacional had crashed on its approach to the airport at Medellin, killing 71 or the 77 people on board, including 19 of the club's players and their manager Luis Saroli.
Of the six survivors, three were Chapecoense players – defenders Alan Ruschel and Neto, and reserve goalkeeper Jakson Follmann, whose injuries meant that he was forced to have his right leg amputated and retire from professional football.
Despite the tragedy, Follmann fought his way back and showed immense physical recovery, taking part in training sessions having fully adapted to the use of a prosthetic leg and announcing his desire to represent Brazil at the Paralympic level of football. He has also become an ambassador for Chapecoense and travelled the world to tell his inspirational story – with West Ham United his most recent destination.
Jakson has shown such strength and bravery to carry on, giving so much to his club and to the game in general
Xavi Valero
The visit to Rush Green was arranged by Hammers’ Goalkeeping Coach Xavi Valero, whose friend had organised Jakson’s appearance last Monday at The Best FIFA Football Awards in London, where he presented trophies to the FIFA FIFPro World 11.
After meeting manager Manuel Pellegrini and his staff the following day, the 26-year-old spent the afternoon chatting to players and enjoying a tour of the facilities.
Xavi said: “It was a huge privilege and very humbling for everyone here to meet Jakson and learn more about the journey he has been through in the last couple of years.
“To go through the horror he experienced, losing so many of his friends and colleagues, and then coming to terms with his life-changing injuries, is impossible to imagine, yet he has recovered so well and is now travelling the world as an ambassador for Chapecoense.
“He has shown such strength and bravery to carry on, giving so much to his club and to the game in general. It is an inspiring story and we were very honoured to welcome him to the club.”