Former Valencia CF goalkeeper Andrés Palop spent 12 days fighting against COVID-19 in the Hospital 9 d’Octubre facility, but is now back to full health and resting up at home. He spoke to VCF Media Radio on Tuesday, in an interview that featured a surprise phone-in from former teammates Juan Sánchez, Miguel Ángel Angulo and David Albelda, as well as current Valencia CF shotstopper, Jaume Doménech.

Palop's current condition
"I'm fine now. Today is the last day in which I'm isolating from everybody at home. I'm in my own room by myself in my house, because when I got out of hospital the doctors recommended I isolate. I am looking forward to being able to hug my children and my wife."

"From tomorrow I can have a normal home life. Having people alongside you and being able to give them a hug is fundamental; they are small things that you really like after 12 days in hospital and 15 days shut away. My wife was bringing me food with a mask and gloves on, along with a plastic bag so as not to touch anything, and my clothes were also washed with a plastic bag."

The experience

"All of this time I've been looking for the answer, to see how and where I caught the virus. I think that it was on the last Thursday of the Europa League; I was in Barcelona and went by Euromed train to Valencia. From the 14th, I was at home almost all week and was fine, but the next week I started to have a slight cough, a headache and a tight chest. I held off for a while because I thought it might be anxiety, but the most troublesome part was the cough, which increased. When I got a fever I became even more worried, so I went to the hospital. I was in bad shape, and I couldn't even get out of bed."

"Once I tested positive I was very scared. It's very unstable, a virus that we don't know and with which you can be ok now, but ill within four hours. It creates nerves, uncertainty and a fear of passing it on to your family. Thankfully they didn't have any problem, and when I went to hospital they quarantined themselves for 15 days."

"The nurses and doctors are very committed to those who are sick, and they treated me incredibly. I am very grateful for the care they took with me and with all of the patients on the COVID-19 ward."

The help of a competitive spirit to overcome the virus

"Mentality is fundamental for overcoming this illness. I've had things good or difficult in my life, but I've always competed and I like to grow. When I worked in the fields with my father I liked to be the best at it, and I had the same mentality in goal. There was a point in which I felt like I wasn't hungry and I was anxious, but I told myself that I had to eat in order to not get weaker."

"When people ask me what my wish is, I always say 'my health.' It's the driving force in life. Without your health, you can't do anything. Overcoming this is a huge triumph. Returning to normal life, and what you like to do, is the biggest thing that you can have."