Ten days have passed since it happened.
But Andy Considine is still trying to get his head around it.
Because it's been nine YEARS since he felt like this.
On crutches, he feels useless. And every time he watches football, talks about it or sees it on TV – he realises how big a void it's left in his life already.
When he reflects on the ACL knee injury he suffered on that disgrace of a pitch in Azerbaijan, it's difficult to know what was worse.
The crack he heard as his studs caught in the turf. The excruciating pain on a seven-hour flight home.
His leg swelling like a balloon when he got home. Or the emotion of filtering the news back to his parents.
Either way, it's an experience the Aberdeen and Scotland defender never wants to go through again.
The last serious injury he had was a broken leg in 2012.
Since then, his name has barely been off a Pittodrie team-sheet.
Until that fateful night in their Europa League defeat to Qarabag, which has left him out of action for six months.
Considine can't hide his disappointment at not playing. There's even a bit of trepidation about the mental challenge that's ahead of him.
And there's also slight concern about his future at the Dons, with the 34-year-old's contract up next summer.
But above all else, there's a steely determination to get back to doing what he does best.
When MailSport caught up with the Aberdeen centre-back, he said: "My last bad injury was almost 10 years ago.
“So there's been a huge gap. I've never even torn a muscle in my career.
“So the biggest thing to deal with will be the mental side.
“I've always been with the boys, never anywhere near a treatment room.
“So it feels like it's been snatched away from me.
“I'm on crutches and it's tough. When you're not involved, it's pretty lonely to say the least.
“It's still hard to get my head around.
“My life is football and it feels like it's been taken away from me. This game is all I've ever known.
“I'll get back, I know that. My hunger is the exact same now as it's ever been.
“I still want to achieve things at Aberdeen.
“I'm in the last year of my contract so this injury hasn't come at a great time.
“That's probably the one worry I've got at the moment.
“A lot of people probably think, Considine is 34, he's done. With this injury, they'll ask how I'll get back.
“But honestly, I'm so determined to prove every single person wrong.
“I'm going to be on that pitch in April again, or whenever my knee is right.
“I'll be back wearing that red shirt.”
Considine was confident he could survive 90 minutes on the rutted surface at the Azersun Arena.
If anything, he was more fearful for some of his Aberdeen pals who had a history with injuries.
But he was the one left writhing in agony after an innocuous challenge.
And that journey back from Azerbaijan is one he'll never forget.
He said: “The first hour was horrific with the pain. And when my body came out of shock, it got quite emotional.
“My wife Marilyn had phoned my parents after the game. I hadn't been injured in such a long time – and I knew this was serious.
“I feared my season could be over, all sorts of things were running through my head.
“That's not ideal when you've got a seven hour journey.
“By the time I got back, the swelling was just a joke. It was always going to swell up but my whole leg was huge.
“The staff had been especially worried about the pitch. Personally, I thought it was diabolical but thought we could deal with it.
“We'd been on it the night before and it was giving way for the slightest thing.
“Yet at that precise moment, the pitch stuck, which was incredible.
“I'd gone shoulder to shoulder with one of their players and my foot got stuck. My body weight plus his pushed forward on to my knee and I felt a crack.
“The pain was horrendous. I knew there and then I was in trouble.”
The recovery is underway and Considine knows how tough it's going to be.
The support of his wife and three sons, his A-Licence coaching course – and reading a book a month – will all help.
But more than anything, his sheer love of the game will get him through it.
The Scotland centre-back said: “When I came back from breaking my leg I had a gruelling rehab.
“I remember running up the sand dunes at Balmedie. That was tough!
“But what's driven me is that it gave me the love of football again.
“Even just watching on TV or the boys on a Saturday, I'm craving it already.
“I'm desperate to get back out there. I've always had a strong mentality when it comes to football. And it's because I love it that much.
“I'm doing my A Licence so when I'm off crutches I'll be able to get down to Oriam to carry that on.
“I'm also doing an Applied Football Management course through Napier University.
“That's every Monday night until March. So that will keep me going, doing essays and stuff like that.
“I've never been a massive reader but I want to read a book a month now to keep my mind ticking over.
“This is the perfect time to do it.”
