Borussia Dortmund defender Marc Bartra on Wednesday took part in his first training session a month after he was injured in a bomb attack on the club’s team bus ahead of their Champions League match against Monaco. Bartra, 26, broke a bone in his wrist in the attack and underwent surgery.
“I’ve been looking forward to this moment for weeks,” Bartra wrote on Twitter. “So happy to be here today. Can’t wait to compete again next to my teammates.” The Spaniard wore a cast on his right arm and posed for a selfie with his teammates on the training ground, reported BBC. Bartra was the only Dortmund player or official to be seriously injured in the attack.
The quarter-final match between Dortmund and Monaco was postponed by a day following the attack. This led to Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel slamming Uefa, saying that they treated the attack as if a “beer can” had been thrown on the team bus. Dortmund ended up crashing out of the Champions League after losing to Monaco 3-6 on aggregate over two legs.
The German police later arrested a suspect whose motive, prosecutors said, was financial rather than terror-related. Sergej W, 28, was reportedly hoping to profit from a drop in Borussia Dortmund’s share price as a result of the attack.
Dortmund are currently third in the Bundesliga table, with two more league matches left to play this season. They are also in the German Cup final, where they will clash with Eintracht Frankfurt on May 27.