Cesar Azpilicueta showed his appreciation to Sekou Mara after the Southampton forward reached out following the Chelsea defender's head injury.
Azpilicueta was caught by Mara as the Frenchman attempted an overhead kick in the Premier League clash between the clubs at Stamford Bridge. The Spanish defender, who captains Chelsea, was taken to hospital after the incident.
The former Marseille star was given oxygen before being stretchered off, causing a significant delay to the game in west London. He is on the mend, though, and has spoken from his hospital bed as he continues to make his recovery.
"Hi everyone! Thank you all for your love and messages of support!" Azpilicueta tweeted. My family and I would like to thank everyone who has been looking after me since yesterday’s incident.
"From the @ChelseaFC medical team to teammates and opponents, to St Mary’s and Cleveland Hospital and all staff members and doctors: a massive thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now, time to recover and I will see you soon on the pitch!"
According to The Athletic, Mara reached out to his opponent after the clash, which left the Chelsea man with boot marks on his face. Azpilicueta is said to have appreciated the gesture while recognising there was no malice involved in the incident.
It speaks to the class of the well-respected defender, who has been on Chelsea's books for more than a decade. Even as the Blues struggle on the pitch, he continues to show the qualities which have marked him out as a great leader on the field.
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"I'm feeling okay," Azpilicueta told club media after returning to Chelsea's training ground. "[It is] Great to be back after being discharged from the hospital and coming to say hello and watch training.
“It was scary, mostly for other people around, for my family. The last thing I could remember was when the corner was going to be kicked. The first thing when I woke up was when the fans there were singing my name."
"I remember to be awake and to hear the name and to clap them [the fans] as well," he added. "At the moment, we are going through a difficult moment so it is very important to stick together, and the situation that there was, to say thank you and hopefully I can see them in a different situation.
“I now have a couple of days to recover well and then start progressing my way back to the pitch. We have to take it step by step."
Next up for Chelsea is a pair of Premier League games against Tottenham and Leeds, followed by the second leg of their Champions League last-16 clash with Borussia Dortmund. It remains to be seen how big a role Azpilicueta will play in those games.
Southampton's match-winner James Ward-Prowse also sent his well-wishes to his opponent in the aftermath of the game. "The game was obviously overshadowed a bit by the injury to Cesar and we wish our best to him. We hope he is OK," the midfielder told the BBC.
