Getty Image
In a recent interview, 28-year-old Wrexham AFC striker Paul Mullin revealed he thought he was dying on the pitch after suffering a chest injury against Manchester United during a preseason match.
During a July 25 friendly between the two clubs in San Diego, Mullin suffered from a punctured lung and four fractured ribs after a collision with young United goalkeeper Nathan Bishop.
While speaking to The Athletic, Mullin said that as he was lying on the pitch in the immediate aftermath of the injury, he thought he was going to die.
“I was trying to breathe in but nothing was happening. I couldn’t get air into my lungs. That’s when I knew it was bad. In that struggle for breath, with my lips turning blue, I accepted that this could be it for me,” Mullin recently told The Athletic.
“That’s how it felt. I couldn’t breathe properly for a few minutes. I was thinking about my little boy, Albi. I hate being away from him and my partner Mollie for too long but I had told myself it was only two weeks and that I’d be back home soon. It ended up being much longer, but I’m so thankful it wasn’t worse.”
According to Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson, the team expects Mullin back in “weeks rather than months.”
Mullin was a key figure in Wrexham being promoted to League Two last season, as he led the division with a whopping 38 goals in 46 appearances across the season.
Prior to landing at Wrexham in 2021, Mullin played for League One and Two sides such as Cambridge United, Swindon Town, Morecambe, and Tranmere Rovers. Developed in the Everton, Liverpool, and Huddersfield Town academies, Mullin made his debut with Huddersfield in the Championship during the 2013-14 season.
Given his goal-scoring prowess, Mullin was also heavily featured in the Hulu docuseries Welcome To Wrexham and has seemingly struck up a legitimate relationship with celebrity owner Ryan Reynolds.
As a result of the injury he sustained against Manchester United, Mullin has yet to make his season debut for Wrexham, who have won, drawn, and lost their first three League Two matches of the season. If Wrexham can keep that sort of pace up, while it’s unlikely they’ll be promoted to League One, they’ll also certainly be safe from relegation back down to the National League, where it had previously been stuck since 2008.