Brooks beats cancer, targets 2026 World Cup with Wales
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- David Brooks was diagnosed with Stage Two Hodgkin lymphoma in October 2021 while on Wales duty for a World Cup qualifier and underwent months of chemotherapy that left him unable to walk his dog on the beach.
- Brooks watched Wales' 2022 World Cup campaign from the stands in Qatar, having been given the all-clear but lacking the fitness to play, and missed almost two years of top-flight football after gaining 20kg during treatment.
- Brooks now ranks fifth in the Premier League for expected assists per 90 minutes and in the top 10 for carries that result in a chance, having earned a new four-year contract at Bournemouth.
- Wales face Bosnia-Herzegovina in a World Cup play-off semi-final on Thursday, March 26 at Cardiff City Stadium, live on BBC platforms.
- Tom Lockyer said Brooks turned his Qatar disappointment 'into motivation' and described his football intelligence as 'a second ahead of most people,' while Kieffer Moore called his resurgence 'remarkable, really, given what his body and mind have been through.'
Why it matters: Bournemouth's David Brooks went from being unable to walk his dog during 2021 cancer treatment — gaining 20kg and missing almost two years of football — to ranking fifth in the Premier League for expected assists per 90 minutes and earning a new four-year contract. Wales face Bosnia-Herzegovina in a March 26 World Cup play-off semi-final.
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