Wieghorst: I thought I might die

Celtic and Denmark midfielder Morten Wieghorst has revealed that he thought he might die while he lay in intensive care for several weeks after being struck down by a brain infection.

Wieghorst had to spend 11 days on a respirator after contracting the rare Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which can paralyse the body.

As he battled to beat the disease during his long stay in hospital, his mind turned to dark thoughts, and he told Danish newspaper BT: "The doctors told me that this disease only kills 1 per cent of all sufferers, but it’s no secret that the thought of death crossed my mind. I thought I might die."

The 29-year-old left hospital on crutches last Friday, dreaming of playing football again, but the doctors could give him no guarantees that he would ever be able to play at the top level again.

Wieghorst has been touched by all the help, care and support from his friends and colleagues. He was especially moved by the support from his former Denmark and Celtic colleague Marc Rieper

"He visited me nearly every day," said Wieghorst. " And one of my toughest rivals on the field, Rangers midfielder Craig Moore, visited me with greetings from Rangers. I was impressed and touched by that."