'I have had to teach myself how to play the game again'

Exclusive Interview: Matt Jansen: Jansen cannot remember the accident that nearly cost him his life but the effects will never be forgotten. Alex Hayes hears his poignant story

Matt Jansen cannot remember anything about Sunday 2 June 2002. Truth be told, it is probably better that way. He would not want to have to relive England's poor opening performance against Sweden in the World Cup, let alone the motoring accident that very nearly killed him in Rome later that same day. Football more important than life and death? Try asking Jansen and his loved ones.

The few stitch marks above Jansen's right eye may be the only visible legacy from his accident, but the internal scarring – both physical and mental – remains. Physical, because Jansen was in a coma for four days and suffered severe swelling in his brain. Mental, because he has no recollection of the incident and has had to "dig deep to relearn how to be a professional footballer".

Jansen's journey of rediscovery has offered him only two substitute's appearances so far, but, having come so close to losing his career, the 25-year-old forward is not complaining. "It's been good to be back in the thick of the action," he says at Blackburn Rovers' training ground. "No, it's been amazing, actually. I'm not match fit and I'm still a little bit rusty, but it's just fantastic to be back. Rome seems a long way away now."

Jansen's accident had all the hallmarks of a summer holiday disaster. Riding a hired moped in the Italian capital with his girlfriend on the back, Jansen stopped at a junction, nudged forward to see if there was any oncoming traffic, and was promptly rammed by a taxi. Such was the force of the impact that Jansen went into a light but worrying coma, from which he would not fully wake for four days. His girlfriend, meanwhile, was left with only minor scratches, but deep psychological wounds. "Because I blanked out and have a total memory loss to this day," Jansen says, "I can't really have nightmares about the whole episode. But my girlfriend was right in the action and often relives the terror. I think it's been very tough for her. She's struggled to sleep at times."

Following a brief stint at a Rome general hospital, Jansen was moved to a more modern unit that specialises in neurological problems, where he was cared for during his short coma. His agent and long-time friend Jay Bevington remembers seeing the Blackburn player for the first time after the crash. "Matt was wriggling around," Bevington says, "and, although he didn't look the best, I was pleased to see that he was not paralysed."

Only once the doctors were satisfied that he was fit enough to return home was Jansen allowed to fly back to England. His life was no longer in danger, but, at 24, he had no guarantees that he would be able to play football again.

"The weird thing is," Jansen says, "that I have had no broken bones or anything, so it's not like there were any visible signs of the accident. I have the stitch marks above my eye and a small gash on my knee, but otherwise the damage has been internal.

"That's made my recovery harder in a sense, because I have had to teach myself how to play the game again, rather than how to walk or run. I also lost my ability to find all the right words quickly, which was a little frustrating for a while, but I'm OK now. Overall, I've come out of this not too bad. It's certainly made me realise how lucky I am. It's scary thinking back and wondering what might have happened had I been hit harder by the car."

It was five months ago today that Jansen had his accident. Statistically, he should not yet be playing football again, let alone first-team matches. His recovery has been described as nothing short of miraculous. Doctors are astounded. They believe that Jansen is only the third person in the world to have recovered so quickly from this sort of injury.

Jansen prefers to praise others, including the Blackburn club doctor, Phil Batty, as well as his friends and family, but the truth is that he has worked hard to pick himself up again. And it was not all plain sailing. The first month, in particular, was emotionally draining. "For three weeks after I had got back to England," he says, "I was staying with my girlfriend's parents, because my family were all in Canada at my younger brother's wedding and I wasn't allowed to fly long-haul.

"I don't really remember much of my time there with them, but apparently I slept for 17 or 18 hours a day. Not only that, but I was also obsessed with caffé lattes and cookies, which is really weird because I've never had a sweet tooth. In fact, I haven't had a biscuit since."

Jansen made his first-team comeback just over two weeks ago in a home League match against Newcastle United. He had waited 136 days for that moment. No wonder, then, that the 30-minute run-out gave him so much pleasure. "I remember the manager turning to me and telling me to go and get myself warmed up," says the Carlisle-born Jansen. "I ran down the touchline, and that's when it really hit me. 'Ooh God, I'm coming back on to a football pitch,' I thought. It was terrifying. But then I ran on, and got such a tremendous ovation from the crowd. It was an unforgettable moment, and one that I will always cherish."

By his own admission, Jansen did no more than perform adequately on his return. But then, at least he did not make a fool of himself. "I had dreamt of that moment for so long," he says, "that I was just pleased the ball didn't run under my foot or something. I had been replaying my comeback in my mind over and over again, worrying that I wouldn't be up to scratch, so it was nice not to have a nightmare. My first touch was only a simple lay-back, but it was an important one, because if I had got nervous I might not have recovered after that."

There was never going to be a straightforward way of re-entering the fray. Jansen not only had to prove that he was fit again, he also had to prove that he had no fears about physical contact. "The weird thing is," he explains, "that because I have no recollection of the accident, I have had no qualms about getting stuck in and banging my head." No bad thing, really, as Jansen was struck in the face three times during his first week back in training. "It was sod's law," he says. "The ball just kept finding me. I had no luck, really."

All in all, it was not a great summer for Jansen. Having been selected by the England manager, Sven Goran Eriksson, for the final friendly before the World Cup squad of 23 was announced, against Paraguay at Anfield, Jansen had to pull out the day before the game because of a stomach bug. Then he was watched on the eve of the final squad announcement and given verbal assurances that his seat on the plane to the Far East was secure. The next morning, though, he was left out.

"I don't really know what happened there," Jansen smiles. "The morning of the squad decision, the gaffer [Souness] told me that I was in. He had spoken to Sven Goran Eriksson the night before, and seemed 100 per cent sure. I was hanging around in the canteen, watching Sky Sports News for the list to be released, but it kept being delayed. After the warm-down, the gaffer came back in and repeated that I should not be concerned. 'You're in, Matt,' he said. 'Just stop worrying, will ya'." Jansen had good reason to be suspicious, as he was discarded in favour of the 35-year-old Arsenal defender Martin Keown (who, incidentally, did not play a single minute at the tournament).

The ultimate irony, of course, is that if Jansen had been in Japan and South Korea, the accident would not have happened. "I know, I know," he sighs, "and I've actually thought about that a few times. But you can't go around feeling sorry for yourself. I have to knuckle down and give myself another chance. I know I can do it."

Strange as it may seem, when you consider what he had been through, Jansen is already under pressure to reproduce his form of old. "I guess you can look at it two ways," he says. "The encouragement from the supporters has given me a great feeling, but it has also made me realise how much everyone expects of me. The gaffer has explained that I'm not yet my usual self, but people want you to be at your best very fast. I guess I just have to accept it."

There has always been a lot of interest in Jansen. After shining for Carlisle United, he was offered the chance to join Manchester United in the winter of 1998. Most players would have leaped at the opportunity, but Jansen showed great restraint and decided that he would be better off going to a smaller club and playing regular football. At first, he joined a struggling Crystal Palace team, who were promptly relegated. Then, midway through the following season, he was sold to Blackburn for £4.4m. Jansen was seen as the final piece in Brian Kidd's new jigsaw. Blackburn, it was felt, were on their way to challenging the big guns once more.

"When I went to Blackburn, the manager had money to spend and it looked as if the club were going back to where they had been four years before, when they won the championship," Jansen says. "I thought it would be a great move. Everyone said that Blackburn were too good to go down."

They were not, and, by the spring of 2000, Jansen was weighing up escape routes out of the Nationwide First Division. "I was on my way, really," he recalls, "and had been given permission to speak to Newcastle and Rangers. But then, about a week later, Graeme Souness came in as manager and said no one was leaving.

"It was interesting when he arrived because he had been a battler, a ball-winner and a physical kind of player, whereas I am just a ball-player. We're chalk and cheese, and I was a little bit worried, but it has worked out really well."

You can see why Blackburn have been so keen to nurse Jansen back to full fitness. Considering that he is more of an attacking midfielder rather than an out-and-out striker, Jansen's goal record is impressive. In 91 League appearances for Rovers, he has scored no fewer than 40 goals – a total that ranks alongside Dwight Yorke's. Sir Alex Ferguson is known to be an admirer of his, and it would be no surprise if Jansen did eventually make the short hop down the motorway.

Before then, though, Jansen needs to recapture his form of last season, which took him to the brink of the World Cup squad. It promises to be a slow and laborious process, but Jansen has no intention of throwing away the last five months' work. "It's going to be tough," he says, "but I'm determined to get back to the way I was before the accident. It's been a massive mountain to climb, but I feel like I'm starting to see the summit. I want to push myself even more now, and hopefully get back into contention for an England place. That has to be my aim."

Logic tells you that Jansen will one day fulfil his dream and represent his country. And when it happens, there will be no one happier than his father. "My dad has always said that I have never seen him cry, but that that will all change the day I cross the white line with an England shirt on." Jansen pauses, then smiles. "I'm determined to make him cry."

Biography: Matthew Brooke Jansen

Born: 20 October 1977 in Carlisle.

Height: 5ft 10in. Weight: 10st 13lb.

Position: Forward.

Shirt Number: 10.

Clubs: Carlisle United 1995-1998 (54 appearances, 13 goals); Crystal Palace 1998-1999 (31 appearances, 10 goals); Blackburn Rovers 1999-present (137 appearances, 50 goals).

International: Six England Under-21 caps. Called up to senior squad for final World Cup warm-up match, against Paraguay, but withdrew due to illness.

Also: Involved in a motorcycle crash while on holiday in Italy on 2 June, the day England played Sweden in this year's World Cup finals. Suffered serious head injuries and spent four days in a coma.