Ex-Sunderland and Wigan Athletic man reveals 'years of painkillers and injections' to get through games

Former Sunderland man Max Power has revealed how years of painkillers and injections have impacted his later career.

The 30-year-old joined Sunderland at the beginning of the 2018-19 season in League One on an initial loan deal before making the move from Wigan Athletic permanent shortly after.

The midfielder made 137 appearances for the Black Cats in all competitions, scoring 13 goals in the process over three seasons at the Stadium of Light. Power even captained the club for a period and was part of the team that won the Papa John's Trophy under Lee Johnson.

Power left Sunderland in 2021 to rejoin former club Wigan Athletic, where he spent another two seasons before making the move to Saudi Arabia to play for Al-Qadsiah, who have now won promotion to the Saudi Pro League during the 2023-24 season.

Taking to LinkedIn, however, Power penned a lengthy description of the problems he has faced since making the move to Saudi Arabia and included details of his recent injury woes and how taking painkillers and injections during previous seasons had impacted his 2023-24 season.

“As captain of the team Al-Qadsiah Saudi Club it fills me with immense pride to not only achieve another promotion but to finish as champions,” Power said.

“After a great start to the season, 6 wins and 2 draws my season came to an end. Years of painkillers and injections to get through games had finally caught up with me and I required surgery on my groin and hernia. As someone who has never been injured before, in hindsight, I probably rushed the comeback and faced many setbacks along the way.

“In January I took a very difficult decision to end my season to allow the club to bring in another foreign player as the rule in this division is 7 international players per team. It broke my heart but I am proud of my decision to put the team and the football club before my own self. I have had to learn to lead in a different way than on the pitch, by helping the team every day in training and in the dressing room.

“This period has allowed me to fully reset my body and I now feel stronger and better than at any stage in my career. I want to thank all staff at the club and the owner Aramco for the help during this period. I have seen the best specialists in world football and had surgery from one of the best surgeons in the game.”

“The biggest thank you is to my wife and children for their unwavering support. They’ve seen how hard I’ve worked and the impact not being able to play has had on me. This period of time out of the team has made me realise how much I still love this game that has given me a great life to date. I can’t wait for pre-season to begin and I look forward to helping the club progress next season.”