Dortmund's Marc Bartra hails return from bus attack as "greatest triumph"
Borussia Dortmund defender Marc Bartra has called his return to action following the attack on the BVB team bus his "greatest triumph".
The 26-year-old, who joined Dortmund in summer 2016, suffered a broken his arm in the incident on 11 April ahead of the club's UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg tie at home to AS Monaco and was sidelined for several weeks. He made his comeback on Matchday 34 of the 2016/17 season, playing the full 90 minutes of Dortmund's 4-3 win over Werder Bremen.
Bartra was recently asked by a fan on Twitter what the best moment of his career had been: winning the Champions League with Barcelona or his return from injury in May, posting pictures of both events side by side.
The Spain international replied: "The second one. Playing football again after hitting rock bottom. It's the greatest triumph I can have and I achieve it every day I put my boots on."
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Bartra previously opened up about the incident in bundesliga.com's exclusive interview series, 'Owo meets...', saying: "I was hit in the arm and felt this intense pain… I couldn't move, I couldn't hear anything. Somehow I managed to lie down on the floor. My arm was really hurting and it was covered in blood.
"At that moment all I could think about was my daughter, nothing else. The physio slapped me a few times on the cheeks to keep me conscious. I'd almost fallen asleep. It may only have all lasted about ten minutes but for me it felt like four hours. After making my comeback I told my wife it was the happiest moment of my professional life. It was unbelievable. I've experienced a lot of great moments but that was unbelievable."
Watch: Bartra discusses the bus attack and life in Dortmund with Owo…
Now firmly back to fitness and with a full pre-season behind him, Bartra is currently gearing up for the forthcoming Supercup fixture against Bayern Munich on 5 August, looking to add to the DFB Cup he won in his first season. He will be vying for a place at centre-back alongside Sokratis and new signing Ömer Toprak as BVB aim to close the gap on the Bavarians this season.