Germany goalkeeper Rene Adler has revealed his injury nightmare almost led to him retiring from the game during the off-season.
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The 27-year-old ended a two-year international hiatus when he received a call-up to Joachim Low's squad for the friendly against the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Adler last featured for his country on 17 November 2010 in the 0-0 draw with Sweden in Gothenburg, and was forced to miss the 2010 World Cup due to a rib injury which saw him lose the No.1 jersey to Manuel Neuer.
A serious patellar tendon injury then sidelined Adler for the entire 2011/12 campaign, which threatened to end his career before Hamburg threw him a lifeline in July following his release by Bayer Leverkusen.
And on his return to the international fold, the shotstopper admits the long injury lay-off was a harrowing time for him as he had doubts about ever playing for the national team again.
"About half a year ago, the end of my career was pretty close," said Adler. "And I was thinking about which studies to take up.
"It did not come overnight. There were times during the rehab I fell into despair and after a few setbacks I did not believe I would ever come back.
"I have continued with my routine until I believed I could make a comeback."
He added: "It was a dream playing in the Bundesliga again. But the national team was very far away.
"I would have been a megalomaniac to dream about playing for Germany again, when sitting at the doctor's."
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