Tom Doyle had a lot to overcome to make the All Whites squad for the Confederations Cup.

Between the Oceania Nations Cup last June, and the Confederations Cup this June, Tom Doyle had a tougher time than most.

After the All Whites' tournament opener in Papua New Guinea last year, the defender took ill.

At first he thought it was the flu, and after a couple of days, he felt good enough to return to training, but it came back, and worse. His temperature got so bad that he ended up moving his sheets and pillows into the shower, seeking relief in the form of cold water, and that was when it was decided he should go to the hospital.

JASON McCAWLEY/GETTY IMAGES Injuries kept Tom Doyle out of the early rounds of the 2016-17 A-League season.

He was told he had dengue fever, a disease carried by mosquitos - he'd been bitten, unknowingly - that is prevalent in tropical and sub-tropical climates, and is occasionally lethal.

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HAGEN HOPKINS/GETTY IMAGES Tom Doyle returned to the All Whites for the first time since the Nations Cup in March, against Fiji.

"At the time, it was a bigger deal to other people than it was to me," Doyle said.

"As an athlete, you don't really think about the seriousness of what things may be. You're in such a competitive mode that you're just thinking about the games, and the games you're missing, and missing out on trainings, and not being able to represent your country."

"I was thinking 'man, will I be able to bounce back in two days to make it back for the finals', and I didn't realise that it was going to be a long recovery, and the toll it was going to take on my body.

BUDA MENDES/GETTY IMAGES Tom Doyle started for the All Whites against Portugal at the Confederations Cup, playing against the likes of Nani.

"When I got home and I saw my family, I realised they were the ones that were stressing out more than I was, they were in panic mode. It took me a while to take a step back and realise I was pretty lucky."

Following the diagnosis, Doyle's condition took a turn for the worse, and he was evacuated to Cairns in Australia, where he began to recover, and once he'd got through the worst of it, he returned home.

"I can't praise the medevac team that came over enough," he said.

BUDA MENDES/GETTY IMAGES Tom Doyle found a real sense of satisfaction in making it to the Confederations Cup.

"They said they'd picked up people before who'd been in far, far worse states than I was. I was able to talk, and I was still with it. There were a few giggles on the plane and I cracked a couple of smiles, but I was just shattered by then."

Reunited with his parents in Auckland, Doyle had a different view of the Nations Cup final than he had been hoping for, but as the All Whites edged past Papua New Guinea on penalties, he was able to find some energy to celebrate.

"The team had worked so hard to get to that point, and the boys really did deserve to win that tournament. There was a sense of relief, bittersweet though it may have been."

SUPPLIED After playing Portugal at the Confederations Cup, Tom Doyle got this photo with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Doyle's teammates kept in touch with messages of support and a bit of banter.

"I was just telling everyone - 'spray on as much bug spray as you can, because you don't want to be feeling like I'm feeling'.

"I was getting called Dengue Doyle for a bit, and Dead Doyle as well, because I dropped about seven kilos and I looked horrendous."

As the Nations Cup ended, Doyle's recovery was only beginning, with the start of the A-League last October his target.

Doyle will never know for sure, but he does wonder if his illness made him more susceptible to muscle injury. He hurt his hamstring in preseason, then again in November, and didn't play regular minutes until just before Christmas.

He didn't get too down, however, and adopted a lemonade-out-of-lemons attitude after talking to All Whites coach Anthony Hudson.

"He goes: 'It's not about how you look at these things as a negative, it's about using them as a positive'.

"The fact was I'd dropped seven kilos, and maybe I didn't need a few of them in the first place, so I was able to start from scratch almost. I was hitting the gym more, and doing more running, and when I started playing I was covering a kilometre extra a game."

Doyle's injuries meant he missed two national team assignments, but he returned to the squad in March, and was then selected for the Confederations Cup in Russia in June.

In the final match against Portugal, Doyle started, and found himself facing Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the world's best players, who he was lucky enough to get a photo with afterwards.

"Sitting on the plane going over was a massive thing for me," said Doyle.

"To think I was able to come back from the dengue, and the hamstring tears, and play at the Confederations Cup for my country against the best in the world, you never would have guessed that 10 months ago. It was hard at times, but if you put your mind to it, I guess you can come back from anything."