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13th Dec 2016

Chapecoense survivor wakes from coma with no memory of plane crash

This is heartbreaking.

Tom Victor

Chapecoense defender Neto has awoken from a coma, two weeks after the plane crash which killed 19 of his teammates and 52 other passengers and crew.

The 31-year-old is one of just six people – and one of just three footballers – to survive the crash in Medellín, Colombia.

Upon gaining consciousness, he is reported to have asked who won the Copa Sudamericana final – the game in which he and his teammates had been due to play before the tragedy.

ABC quotes Chape club doctor Edson Stakonski, who is understood to have attended to the surviving players in Colombia, who reportedly said the defender was unaware of what happened and why he was unable to play in the match.

Sao Paulo v Santa Cruz - Brasileirao Series A 2016Tributes have been paid across Brazil and the rest of the footballing world (Friedemann Vogel/Getty Images)

The publication reports that Neto has not been given full information regarding the crash, as doctors and psychologists continue to monitor his situation.

One of Neto’s fellow survivors, goalkeeper Follmann, returned to Brazil last night and is reportedly undergoing an evaluation at Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo.

Defender Alan Ruschel is also expected to continue his recovery in Brazil this week.

The first-time Sudamericana finalists were awarded the 2016 trophy following the plane crash, while José Mourinho, Edinson Cavani and Gabriel are among the high-profile footballing figures to pay tribute to the victims.

Topics:

Chapecoense,Neto