Lionesses goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck reveals 'amazing two-hour call' with Petr Cech after hiding stroke from Man City team-mates amid 'fractured relationship' with Gareth Taylor & Barcelona transfer talks

Roebuck had an infarct in her left occipital lobe, which is a type of stroke, midway through the 2023-24 season and has admitted she was 'lucky' the situation did not leave her blind. The 25-year-old said it was a lonely time, as she kept the news from her Manchester City team-mates, but she was able to find support from two other sportspeople who could relate to her situation in NFL Super Bowl winner Tedy Bruschi and legendary former Chelsea stopper Cech.

Bruschi had two strokes during a career that included three Super Bowl triumphs with the New England Patriots, while Cech suffered a serious head injury back in 2006 which doctors said could have cost him his life. The Chelsea icon would wear protective head gear for the remaining 13 years of his storied career.

"I had a call with him for about two hours and it was amazing," Roebuck said of Cech in an open interview with BBC Sport. "Although it wasn't directly the same [situation], it was someone I could relate to going through a similar thing.

"He touched on things that nobody else got. No matter how many times I tried to express myself, I couldn't. Nobody could relate to what I was going through. He is now a good friend of mine. He came to watch me train the other day in Barcelona. So, there are positives to come out of it - the new relationships I've formed."

Meanwhile, back at Man City, Roebuck found her relationship with head coach Gareth Taylor to be "fractured". The 25-year-old made her senior debut with the club and would play 131 times for them across eight years, but found herself massively out-of-favour in the first half of her final season, even before this scary situation developed. Her final appearance for the club came in May 2023.

"I don't know whether that was me, maybe not hearing the clear communication or the fact that there just wasn't clear communication," she said of that relationship breakdown. "I got my head down and I just tried to work every day, but I think it was a badly managed situation. I've always been professional. I just felt like the respect wasn't reciprocated in that same sense."

Roebuck did, however, secure an incredible move away from the club last summer, when she signed for European champions Barcelona. She has made two appearances for the Catalans this season so far and is grateful for the "trust" they have put in her.

"After coming back from having a brain injury and then saying you've got to dive at someone's feet, it's not the prettiest. But I had to get through it," she said of that first training session with her new team. "Barcelona showed trust in me and for me, that was more important than anybody saying you can have a starting role. It's the fact they showed confidence in me, and they wanted me here and they want to improve me.

"The girls are amazing. The top three Ballon d'Or nominees are all in this changing room and it was a shock how nice everybody is, it's crazy to me. I've never been a part of a team other than the England team that's like this. So, for me it's a perfect fit and I enjoy going in every day."