Ghana defender Baba Rahman has opened up about the emotional toll his time at Chelsea took on him, revealing that a series of serious injuries nearly pushed him to retire from football.
Rahman, who joined Chelsea in 2015 for an initial £14 million from Augsburg, spent eight years at Stamford Bridge but made only 23 first-team appearances. His time at the club was overshadowed by multiple loan spells and a string of debilitating injuries. The most significant of these came in 2019 when a second ACL injury almost ended his career.
"I went through a lot with injuries at Chelsea," Rahman admits. "When I suffered the second ACL injury, I seriously considered quitting. It took me 18 months to recover from the first one, and I felt like it might be time to walk away."
At this low point, Chelsea's former medical director, Dr. Paco Biosca, played a pivotal role in Rahman's recovery. The defender credits Dr. Paco with inspiring him to continue his career.
"I told my family I was done, but Dr. Paco convinced me to stay mentally strong. He told me he'd seen players recover from similar injuries and that I could do it too. After thinking it over, I decided I wanted to fight for my career," Rahman recalls.
Though Rahman fought through his injuries, his time at Chelsea was challenging. He spent much of his time out on loan, never fully securing a spot in the first team.
Now 30, Rahman is thriving at PAOK in Greece. He enjoyed a standout season last year, contributing six goals and four assists as his team won the Greek Super League and reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Conference League. This season, he has already netted five goals in 18 appearances, attracting interest from Premier League clubs.
