Eating meals through a straw wasn't what Rai Marchan anticipated playing football in Australia would bring.
When the Melbourne Victory recruit suffered a sickening clash of heads with teammate Jason Geria on January 25, he was taken off on a stretcher and left with facial fractures
Marchan didn't play again until March 15.
"It's been the worst injury I have had in my career," the Spaniard told AAP.
"It was painful because I had to be like four or five weeks without eating properly.
"I still have some pain in the mouth when I when I am eating. But it's football. I mean, it's normal. We have injuries.
"Maybe it's worse when you have an injury in the knee that is in our legs, it's maybe worse to recover from that.
"At least it's my face. I am how I am (looks-wise), so no problem with that and now at least I am ready to play again."
But first the 28-year-old had to find a way to put weight back on and build football fitness before Tony Popovic would put him back on the park.
"It was tough for that because I am a skinny guy and my weight is not too high," he said.
"I dropped like five, six kilos and for me this is a big issue. I tried with a nutritionist, with all the people in the club helping me. Trying to do it properly to gain that muscle, those kilos that I need has been difficult.
"But now it's OK I am almost there. I am still recovering from it. I am not 100 per cent.
"But now I am enjoying being again in the pitch, trying to help my teammates and the squad."
Now, the defensive midfielder wants to prove himself at Victory.
Marchan is set to play a key role in Victory's clash with Western Sydney on Sunday, when his teammates will eye redemption for last month's 2-0 loss.
"We want to come back, to win again, to start a new Victory era," he said.
