‘I survived two cardiac arrests in training – now I’ve been named Player of the Month’
Charlie Wyke has had a long road back to full fitness – and the Wigan striker suffered two heart attacks in training, but he’s now back to banging in goals in League One
Charlie Wyke, a striker for Wigan, was left fighting for his life after suffering a heart attack not too long ago, and scoring goals was the last thing from his thoughts.
Wyke showed up for a regular training session in November 2021, but it ended with him being sent to the hospital. Leam Richardson, the manager of Latics, performed CPR on the striker to assist save his life.
Wyke returned to training following numerous heart operations, only to experience a second heart attack in April 2022. However, Wyke never got going again after his return with Richardson’s assistance.
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But when Richardson was sacked in November 2022, and Wyke injured his knee, the striker began to question his future in football. Speaking to The Sun, Wyke said: “Losing Leam and then doing my knee – it felt like it just wasn’t meant to be.
“My body couldn’t handle it any more. I was overweight – up to 90 kilos – my knee wasn’t right, my head wasn’t right and I was thinking, ‘I don’t want to do this any more’.”
However, on the opening day of the season, Wigan beat Derby 2-1 – with two both goals from Wyke. That game changed everything, and Wyke added: “I can’t explain the relief I felt when we kicked off with a 2-1 win at Derby and I scored both goals.
“Except to say that, for what felt like the first time in forever, I finally felt normal again.”
Wyke’s performances continued to sky rocket, and at the end of August, he was presented with the Sky Bet League One Player of the Month award. He said: “I’m delighted to win the award and personal accolades are always nice but I can’t win this without the help of my teammates and the Gaffer!”
It’s been a long road to recovery for Wyke, but football is back on his mind again.
Wyke is currently second in the League One goalscorer charts, with six goals in eight games, and he’s only trailing Barnsley’s Devante Cole – who was nine.
