Ricky van Wolfswinkel reveals life-threatening brain condition

Former Norwich City striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel has revealed he has been diagnosed with a brain aneurysm.

The Dutch forward will take an enforced break from the game for treatment after the condition came to light following routine scans for concussion playing for FC Basel last week in the Champions League against ASK Linz.

Van Wolfswinkel, who spent three years at Carrow Road following a then club-record move from Portugal, posted a video on FCB's official site confirming the news earlier on Thursday.

"I just wanted to say a few words because it is important to me," he said. "I got a hit on my head in the last minutes of the game. In the dressing room the medical team saw the seriousness of the injury and sent me to hospital. Initially I got diagnosed with concussion. The doctors made multiple scans to eventually find out I have a brain aneurysm; let's say it is like a little balloon in the blood vessel in the brain.

"It can leak or rupture and that can cause bleeding into the brain and that could be life-threatening. Just to clarify though, the hit I got in the game is nothing to do with the existing brain aneurysm. This has been there for a longer period, we can't say what time, but for sure not from the hit.

"It doesn't have any symptoms so that is why we didn't know it was there. Because of this I will need treatment. Having treatment will mean I cannot play football for a very long time. At this moment we can't determine a date, but just to be clear it won't be for another six months.

"The return will rest on the results of the treatment. If there are any updates we will let you know. I am just very grateful that this got discovered because normally this is only discovered too late, when it has ruptured or caused other damage. I want to thank the FCB medical department and the doctors."