Chinese star Wu Lei hailed the selfless actions of medical staff on Monday after the Espanyol forward was diagnosed with coronavirus last month in Spain.
China's football association said on March 21 that the country's best player was infected but the 28-year-old said he had only light symptoms which quickly disappeared.
"Personally, from my experience of being infected by the virus, I cannot describe the respect I have for doctors and nurses who sacrifice their time and own safety to help patients recover," said Wu, according to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) website.
"I must thank them for taking such good care of me as well as to those who continue to help people affected by COVID-19."