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Well, this touched me.... :angel:
While Markus Babbel was thinking Guillain-Barre syndrome was going to kill him, Liverpool were offering him a new contract and now he wants to repay the Anfield club.
The German defender was struck down by the life-thrteatening illness earlier in the season and was soon reduced to a wheelchair - unable to even walk or close his eyes for a week as his muscles seized up.
But now after returning to light training, the defender aims to repay Gerard Houllier's faith in him on the pitch.
"I would like to thank the club for standing by me," insisted Babbel who also thanked users of this website for sending him more than a thousand get-well soon message via our message boards. "Despite his own health problems, Gerard Houllier rang me two or three times a week. "I now have to give back something to this club who have given me so much. The best way is for me to return on the pitch. The first time I kicked a ball again in training, it travelled only five metres.
"Now my muscles are OK and I am building up power. I will only take one week's holiday. I want to be involved in pre-season training from the start.
"Always in my mind I knew I would come back. I knew all the time that this illness would not stop me. I just kept thinking... I want to play at Anfield again. I want to play for this beautiful club... the best in the world. That was my target, my motivation."
While Markus Babbel was thinking Guillain-Barre syndrome was going to kill him, Liverpool were offering him a new contract and now he wants to repay the Anfield club.
The German defender was struck down by the life-thrteatening illness earlier in the season and was soon reduced to a wheelchair - unable to even walk or close his eyes for a week as his muscles seized up.
But now after returning to light training, the defender aims to repay Gerard Houllier's faith in him on the pitch.
"I would like to thank the club for standing by me," insisted Babbel who also thanked users of this website for sending him more than a thousand get-well soon message via our message boards. "Despite his own health problems, Gerard Houllier rang me two or three times a week. "I now have to give back something to this club who have given me so much. The best way is for me to return on the pitch. The first time I kicked a ball again in training, it travelled only five metres.
"Now my muscles are OK and I am building up power. I will only take one week's holiday. I want to be involved in pre-season training from the start.
"Always in my mind I knew I would come back. I knew all the time that this illness would not stop me. I just kept thinking... I want to play at Anfield again. I want to play for this beautiful club... the best in the world. That was my target, my motivation."