CATCHING UP WITH ELI KING

I caught up with Cardiff City midfielder Eli King as we discuss the midfielder's career so far, his ACL injury and the beginning of his recent project off the pitch.

Catching up with Eli King.

Most important, how are you feeling at the moment both physically and mentally?

I am feeling really good at the minute. Physically I am in a much better position than what I was four months ago after having surgery, feeling much more like an athlete now. The process has been long but mentally I'm feeling really good because it's been a positive four months, lots of progression and I feel like I'm well on the road to recovery now which is a nice feeling.

If we go back to your first start for Cardiff, describe the feeling of stepping out at Anfield for your boyhood club.

My first start for Cardiff at Liverpool and my first few appearances in general were really quite surreal. Obviously I've been at the club since I was eight, so, everything you do from that point is building up towards a debut or playing for the first team, and I really enjoyed that period, that season in general being introduced to the first team, training with some serious professional players and learning from them, and also playing the games. The Liverpool game was one of the proudest moments of my life for me and my family.

You've picked up notable loan experience at Crewe, Morecambe, Ross County and Stevenage, what have those experiences been like?

I found that loans have been really valuable for me, as a player and as a person. I think that each loan has given me such different challenges, on the pitch in terms of what managers want, the style of play, learning how to showcase my abilities in different teams at different levels, different countries. They've all served me a variety of challenges, especially going to Scotland, the test that provided me with the lifestyle side of it as well. Really valuable, all different, but valuable.

As a player who saw the benefit of a loan move as a younger player, what advice would you give to players ahead of their first loans?

To people who are going to go on loan or coming into first teams for the first time to be open-minded and understand that it's not going to be smooth-sailing, and be ready for those setbacks when they do arise because inevitably they will at some point.

Just as things began to get going upon your return this season, you damaged your ACL. Can you talk us through the incident and your initial thoughts.

It was a tough week or so, especially the day that it happened, really surreal. I couldn't quite believe that it had happened for a long time. I kept waking up thinking it didn't, but it did. Obviously, the initial pain was a lot, I was in a pretty bad way but I think after I rationalized everything in a couple of weeks, got my head down, got my head together, my thoughts together and put one foot in front of the other, and I feel much better and I did from that point. It's still been tough since then, I think overall I'm on the right path now, feeling good.

Since the devastating news, you’ve launched a new project, could you perhaps talk us through what it is and where the inspiration came from.

Shortly after I released 'Just a quick Convo'. I'd been working on that for a while, and it just so happened that I got injured and it felt like the right time to actually put it out there, and it felt like I didn't really have a choice anymore. It felt like the right time, it felt on theme and the project is pretty much about me speaking to people in sports, in the industry, and getting them to share some of their own experiences and stories, talking about some ups and downs that they've experienced perhaps, and hopefully giving courage for people to do something similar in their own lives, have a chat with a mate, family member, those sorts of things, just to encourage and showcase the importance of conversation. From my own experiences I've found that really helpful and valuable, especially in sports where it's quite an up and down industry and place.

What do the next few months look like for you, now?

They look pretty similar to the last couple in terms of carrying on my rehab. I'm back on the grass next week, back running and so that will be progression for me, so the rehab will look different, but another few months of rehab for me before the end of the season, which I'm really looking forward to a different challenge again. Just aiming for that to go as smoothly as possible, so I can be back fit in the best shape possible.

What has the support been like for you since the news?

The support people have shown me has been unbelievable, especially since coming back to the games in recent months, a lot of the people coming up to me asking how I am, saying they've watched a few episodes of what I've been putting out and I really appreciate it, asking how the injury is, when I'm back, even like DM's and messages I've received or seen online. It's always so encouraging, especially in those first few weeks where I really didn't feel the best and couldn't believe what had happened, really wanted to play, that support gets you through those real tough times, and it did for me. I can't thank everyone that has shown support enough thanks.

Big thanks to Sory for answering the questions, and all the best with the remainder of rehab!

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