Faith Over Fear: Benjamin Henrichs On His Long Road Back From Injury

Forbes

20-03-2025

Benjamin Henrichs on the ground as he is being treated for his injury suffered in the Bundesliga ... [+] match against Bayern Munich. (Photo by Marcel Engelbrecht -)
It was a brutal injury. We were deep into injury time when RB Leipzig's Benjamin Henrichs went down with an injury in the 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. 'It was a big bang, a massive noise that you could hear over the noise of the crowd,' Henrichs said to a group of select media last week when describing his Achilles tendon injury.
The injury is Henrichs' first major setback. Indeed, a glance at the 28-year-old's injury history on Transfermarkt reveals that the national team player has missed just 45 games throughout his career.
Putting that in perspective, Henrichs has already missed 23 games with this Achilles tendon injury and counting. Expectations are that Henrichs will miss at least the rest of the season. But despite that, Henrichs has set himself goals to return to full fitness.
For athletes, life is all about setting goals—the next goal, the next game, the next tournament, and the next title. But top athletes also approach injuries by setting themselves goals—small milestones that show the steps towards achieving a comeback.
'A small goal was starting rehab,' Henrichs said. 'Then the goal was to get rid of the boot.' Then Henrichs points at his crutches. 'My next goal is to get rid of those. You have to set these goals because in the first three months or so you are not living a normal life.'
Benjamin Henrichs' teammates hold up his jersey in the Bundesliga game following his Achilles tendon ... [+] injury (Photo by Ronny HARTMANN / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by RONNY HARTMANN/AFP via Getty Images)
Everyone who has ever experienced any sort of injury will appreciate what Henrichs is going through. For those who haven't, imagine you are a human at the very top of his or her physical conditioning suddenly reduced to the bare minimum.
'I'm dependent on my girlfriend for everything,' Henrichs said. 'She drives me around and helps me with food. I mean, it is impossible to walk around on crutches and do something as simple as carrying a plate. It is impossible.'
You certainly get a sense that Henrichs also sees those things as personal challenges. Learning to deal with crutches and being limited as a person are just obstacles that need to be overcome the same way an attacker tries to score on his flank.
To help cope with the injury, Henrichs has decided to document his rehab on YouTube. In the series Faith over Fear, Henrichs speaks about his injury experience and documents his rehab process step-by-step.
There is a sense shooting the documentary provides Henrichs with extra motivation to get through the process. 'Yeah, for sure,' Henrichs said. 'I wanted to show people the process and that there are setbacks. This way, people can really tell who I am. And I get a lot of messages from people who are going through the same thing. For me, it is also about trying to help people.'
One example is Martin Terrier from Leverkusen, who suffered a similar injury recently. 'When Martin Terrier from Leverkusen ruptured his Achilles, I got goosebumps directly,' Henrichs said. 'It was even harder to watch than my own injury. But I texted directly, and we updated each other and compared our scars. We are kind of Achilles besties now.'
Other than Terrier, Henrichs has also been in touch with the likes of Axel Witsel and Presnel Kimpembe, who successfully overcame Achilles injuries in the past. 'I asked them what I should look out for,' Henrichs said.
Speaking to those stars helped to keep up the confidence that a career after such a significant injury is possible. And Henrichs has some big goals. 'The long-term goal is to get back on the pitch,' Henrichs said. But there is also a more concrete goal for the Germany international. 'I want to be part of the World Cup team.'