“Everywhere was dark.”
On February 18, Victor Olatunji was participating in just another training session. Suddenly the 6-foot-3 striker was flat on his back, surrounded by medical staff and teammates, unable to see out of his right eye.
Real Salt Lake was training at the club’s indoor facility in Herriman, just days before the season opener in Vancouver.
The session had already turned strange before the most frightening moment arrived. Early in training, star midfielder Diego Luna strained his knee while striking a ball. About twenty minutes later, new signing Lukas Engel limped off after blocking a shot that awkwardly twisted his knee.
Then came the play involving Olatunji.
Charging down the right sideline to meet a ball, Olatunji arrived at the same moment a defender attempted to drive it back upfield. The ball was struck firmly and caught him directly in the right eye.
Olatunji collapsed to the turf.
Trainers and medical staff rushed over immediately, joined by the defender who had struck the ball in what Olatunji described as a completely unavoidable accident. For nearly ten tense minutes the group surrounded Olatunji as they evaluated the injury.
When he finally stood, he walked off the field under his own power, guided by staff.
His face was already badly swollen, the eye completely closed. Think Sylvester Stallone at the end of Rocky.
Later, describing the moment, Olatunji said the most frightening part came immediately after the impact.
A fierce competitor between the lines but usually effervescent away from them, Olatunji grew noticeably somber recalling the aftermath.
“I was unable to see,” he said. “Everywhere was dark.”
For several minutes, he said, he could see nothing at all.
“It was really scary,” Olatunji explained. “When it happened I could not see anything. Everywhere was dark.”
The vision eventually returned, but only gradually. Olatunji said it took nearly five hours before he began to see again, and even then his eye could barely open.
The recovery required patience.
Doctors instructed him to rest completely and avoid any strain on the injured eye while using medication and eye drops during the healing process. Olatunji was initially expected to return sooner, but the club’s medical staff chose to extend his recovery by an additional week to ensure the injury healed properly.
“They told me to rest, use the medication, and not do anything with the eye,” he said. “My left eye was working, but my right eye needed time.”
The injury quickly became the subject of rumors circulating among fans and even some around the league. One claim suggested Olatunji had nearly lost the eye entirely.
He laughed that off.
“It was not like that,” he said. “But when it happened I could not see for several minutes. That is why it was scary.”
Both Olatunji and those around the team emphasized that the play itself was simply a freak accident, not a dangerous challenge or reckless action by another player.
Now, nearly three weeks later, Olatunji is back.
The striker participated fully in training sessions on consecutive days this week and is expected to be available for selection when Real Salt Lake hosts Austin FC on Saturday.
“I’m really happy to be back outside with my teammates,” he said. “Watching them perform like this, I also want to do well for them and give my best.”
The return is significant for an RSL attack that benefited from Olatunji’s arrival midway through last season. After joining the club in the summer, the Nigerian forward scored four goals and added an assist in just 644 minutes.
For now, however, he is focused on easing back into the squad rather than rushing his return.
“I’m still looking forward to doing what I said before,” he said. “But no rush. Everything comes from what the coach decides and how I come back.”
Olatunji trained this week wearing protective sports goggles similar to those once worn by Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids. He said the glasses do not significantly limit his vision, and they serve as added protection as he returns to full contact.
Other encouraging signs emerged from training as well.
Diego Luna, Olatunji, and defender Kobi Henry all participated fully in sessions this week. Veteran defender DeAndre Yedlin was seen running at speed on a side field as he continues his recovery, while Philip Quinton worked separately with a staff member during the session.
For several minutes on February 18, Olatunji said, “everywhere was dark.”
Nearly three weeks later, he is back training fully with his teammates and preparing to return to the field.
For Real Salt Lake, it means another attacking option returning to the squad.
For Olatunji, it means something even simpler.
He can see again. And he is ready to play.
Great story. So glad everything turned out for the best!