It may be hard to fathom but All Whites midfielder Ryan Thomas had to break some bones to ultimately get back to full fitness.
The midfielder is back in the All Whites squad for the upcoming series against Australia. It's the first time in six years he's been in the squad after a horror run of injuries and seasons with long stints on the sideline.
"It was tough, I contemplated a lot of times quitting because I didn't see the point anymore, a lot of tears shed," he said.
"It was tough coming back every day, mentally knowing you're going to have a problem today, it was tough [but] it made me a better person and a stronger person, it's made me a lot different now.
"I don't have a lot of stress on the pitch, I'm just happy to be on the pitch."
The 30-year-old plays in the Dutch top division with PEC Zwolle, but his 12 years in the Netherlands - which also included a stint with PSV - have been riddled with injury.
Ryan Thomas had to have his kneecaps realigned in their joints by breaking his shin bones. (Source: 1News)
It was discovered both of his knee caps were sitting too high in the joint, causing chronic problems. The solution was not for the faint-hearted.
"You basically pull the knee cap down and reset it in that position. So you kind of break your shin bone, pull the patella tendon down so the patella comes down, and then with two screws set it on the shin bone again, where it's supposed to be.
"Since that operation its been great," Thomas said.
The operation forced him to change his running technique, which took a period of adjustment.
Now that he has, it's enabled him to take on more workload - like playing in the international windows worry free.
"It changes the way you run, how your muscles work, your hamstrings, your quads, your hips. So I had a lot of niggles for the first few months but since the beginning of this year I have had no problems whatsoever."
Thomas has played 19 times for New Zealand, scoring thee goals and is now in the selection frame for next year's World Cup.
New Zealand plays Australia in Canberra tomorrow, followed by a return match in Auckland on September 9. Both matches will be live and free on TVNZ+.
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