Ryan Thomas has had some tough years. Due to persistent injuries, especially to the knee, he ‘barely’ played in the past four years. The adversity also affected Thomas’ private life, he says in an interview with The Stentor.
In the interview, 28-year-old Thomas looks back on his transfer from PEC Zwolle to PSV in 2018. Even before he had played a minute, he was seriously injured. “I was a bit depressed during that period. Football always gave me a lot of joy, but that suddenly disappeared,” says the New Zealander. His wife Nikky, then his girlfriend, shook him awake.
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“I gave short answers to Nikky’s questions, was just very grumpy. I also didn’t feel like doing fun things in the evening, while she had been at home with our daughter all day. I didn’t really want to go outside , didn’t feel like answering all the questions about my knee,” he explains.
Nikky had to get Thomas out of the valley. “She told me to go back to normal and change my behavior, otherwise she would leave me. I understand that too. She moved for me twice, first from Groningen to Zwolle and later to Eindhoven. She always has to adapt to me, if my training is suddenly later, she has to cancel appointments.” Thomas returned to PEC in October 2022, for which he now plays weekly. With the club he is on the threshold of promotion to the Eredivisie.
