FORMER Red Eli Babalj is spending thousands of dollars of his own money at the Belgian rehab clinic that has helped heal Real Madrid’s Luka Modric, Inter Milan’s Ivan Perišić and Liverpool’s Divock Origi.

The former Adelaide United on-loan striker says the “Move to Cure” clinic in Antwerp is worth every cent as he battles to regain full fitness after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament during the Reds’ clash at Suncorp Stadium on January 22.

Before recently coming to a mutual termination agreement with his former Dutch club AZ Alkmaar, Babalj decided to embark on a six -days-a-week program which has helped some of the world’s top athletes recover from debilitating knee injuries.

Babalj, 24, ended his loan stint with the Reds from AZ after the South Australian side claimed the Premier’s Plate, then the championship.



Babalj landed in Antwerp in mid May so he could concentrate solely on rehabilitation.

“It’s costing me a real lot, yeah, but it’s stuff I don’t really count,” Babalj said from Antwerp.

“I’m a free agent when I’m done with here and I don’t really have any time frames or transfer deadlines, so it makes it easier to sign somewhere.

“It’s going good, it’s (rehabilitation) a different level here, there’s a lot of big-name players coming and there’s other players in the same boat.”

Babalj has rented an apartment in Antwerp during his extended stay.

He has also hired a car to get around the most populated city in Belgium, which has blown out his budget, but he is hellbent on making sure he will be ready to tackle his next soccer contract.

“The clinic is one of the most renowned in Europe,’’ Babalj said.

“I have been working with one of the best physiotherapists in the world, Lieven Maesschalck, I go there in the mornings with other athletes and normal people.

“At the start of the rehab I was doing three or four hours a day then physio, balance and strength work and co-ordination stuff and getting the knee right.”

And Babalj isn’t fazed by the fact he is without a club at the moment, claiming he will be ready to start full training in October.

Doing double daily sessions with a conditioning coach over the past eight weeks (he is now taking on ball work) has made the Sarajevo-born Socceroo much more confident of regaining full strength, agility, touch and fitness.

“It’s so good, I’m glad I came here and after about a week here I knew I had made the right decision,’’ Babalj said.

“It’s exactly what I needed where I can work on my rehab full time without distractions.

“It’s so much different to a club environment where everyone is happy when they’re playing.

“We’re all in the same boat here - about five of us have ACL injuries and we’re all encouraging each other’s progress.

“I’m going to stay here until I’m 100 per cent ready to go and I’m going to start team training soon.

“I’m fixing everything up and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”