Sean Highdale was one of the brightest players to come out of the Liverpool academy and was expected to make it big for the Premier League side but one moment in 2008 changed his life completely.
The 25-year-old former Liverpool academy star was born into a family of Reds supporters who had great expectations from their little boy. Highdale was spotted by the club at the age of just nine and had subsequently signed for the Anfield side for their youth academy. His dad was over the moon as people who watched Sean play would tell him that his son would be one of the best players in the future.
Highdale had been plying his trade at the Liverpool youth team and graduated to the England U-16s where he featured with the likes of Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere and Sunderland’s Jack Rodwell. The player went on to represent the Reds at the Under-18s level where he was accompanied by players such as Jay Spearing, Tom Ince and Martin Kelly. Their team even won the FA Youth Cup in 2007 in which Highdale played a major part.
Then in 2008, a 16-year-old Highdale was told that he will no longer have to train at the Liverpool academy and had to report at the first-team training facility at Melwood. It was a moment that Sean had been waiting for since he took up the sport at an early age. The footballer was ecstatic that he would be getting a chance in Liverpool’s first team in the future, it was a dream come true for the aspiring youngster.
A car accident that changed it all for Highdale
But a traumatic situation awaited Sean and his family which they could have never even thought of. The player described the turn of events in an interview he gave to BBC. Sean said, “I was very confident I could go as far as I wanted to go. It was April 2008 and I'd played very well against Derby.”
The midfielder then spoke about the incident as he added, “Twenty-four hours later, I was in a car crash with four of my friends. Two of my mates died, but I was one of the lucky ones. I snapped three of the four main ligaments in my right knee, broke my ankle and my neck, and had to have a kidney taken out. I was in a coma and didn't wake up for five days.”
It was that moment when everything came down crashing for the ball-playing midfielder who was dubbed as the next-big-thing to come out of the Liverpool system. The injuries he suffered were severe as Liverpool decided to shift him to a private hospital, calling one of the best doctors, Andy Williams, to study him. Highdale’s idol, Jamie Carragher, gave him a visit at the medical facility but it was a devastating crash which took away everything Sean had worked for.
To the midfielder’s disappointment, he was told that it would take him more than two years to even run again. Highdale recalled his woeful days, “I used to go in and watch the lads train every day and it would break my heart. I'd stand there on the sidelines and think: 'Could this ever be me again?’”
Liverpool’s captain at that time, Steven Gerrard, invited the youngster and his family for dinner at Melwood where the former tried to boost the morale of the latter. But doctors had already decided Sean’s fate as they knew he would not be able to play the beautiful game again.
However, Highdale did not give up, he recalled, “Every hurdle they put in front of me I overcame. There was lots of aqua running before I moved on to the running machine. I started taking bike rides around Kirkby and before I knew it I was back training with the lads. But Dave Galley [then Liverpool physio] advised Frank McParland [then academy director] that I wouldn't be able to play. At the time I felt OK, so it didn't make sense. But Dave said: 'It's not now, it's when you get older.'”
Sean’s story in a nutshell
Born in March 1991
Joined Liverpool’s youth academy at the age of 9
Represented England Under-16s and Under-17s alongside Jack Wilshere and Jack Rodwell
Won the FA Youth Cup for Liverpool in 2007
Signed on with the first team at the age of 16
Caught in a horrendous car accident in 2008
Went on to represent Great Britain in 7-a-side football tournament
Will be making his Paralympic Games’ debut in Rio
The player who once had a bright future in front of him had to finally face the truth that he could not pursue football ever again. “He (physio) was spot on, because even now my joints blow up and ache. But my dream had fallen apart. I went to MK Dons and Huddersfield, but it was hard to keep up. So I went a bit lower, to Accrington Stanley and Vauxhall Motors. But, eventually, I had to come to terms with the fact that football was not for me,” Highdale said.
The football dream lives on
As a part of the compensation for the accident, a seven-figure amount had been given to Highdale in 2013, after 30 witnesses which included Carragher, Gerrard and Wilshere, attested that the midfielder would have eventually graduated to the Liverpool first team had he not been involved in the car crash. Later that year, the heartbroken player was contacted by the Football Association’s (FA) head of disability, Jeff Davis, who explained to him that he could still play the game but at a different level.
Highdale said, “I had never heard of Cerebral Palsy football before Jeff Davis sent me an email explaining what it was and asking if someone could come and assess me. They did the assessment, told me I was eligible to play and showed me a game from London 2012.”
Cerebral Palsy football is open to those with who have suffered traumatic brain injuries and Highdale was deemed fit to participate. Hence, he went to the FA's National Football Centre at St.Goerge’s Park where he was surprised by the quality of play.
The midfielder said, “I thought it would be easy, but I was surprised at the standard. It's seven-a-side but played on a full-size pitch, so it's very demanding for a midfielder. I was a bit unsure at first, but I've enjoyed every single minute of it. I thought those days were over - nice facilities, playing on nice pitches. All gone. But joining up with the lads at St George's brought back so many good memories."
This journey from being in the Liverpool’s first team to being a 7-a-side participant for the Great Britain team at the Rio Paralympics has made Highdale stronger mentally even though his body has deteriorated in an unfortunate manner. But he is not the only player who was struck by grievous circumstances. His teammate and captain at Rio 2016, Jack Rutter, was a Birmingham City youth player when he was attacked outside a nightclub meaning that he had suffered severe brain injuries.
There is also Michael Barker who was an ex-Everton youth player but a bus accident took away his footballing dream. However, the three athletes are only some of the many Paralympians who were struck by unfortunate injuries.
However, at Rio, Highdale and company will be trying to win the gold medal to achieve their dreams – in a different way, however. The 25-year-old sounded confident going to the Games as he said, “I fully expect us to be OK in Rio. Mum and Dad are coming over. They get upset watching me play because it brings back memories. But they're very proud as well. We've got a very good team and I don't see why they won't see us get a medal.”
Sean’s Great Britan team will be facing off against the hosts Brazil, World Championship runners-up Ukraine and Ireland in their group at Rio.
