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“I have a story to tell,” said 26-year-old Trinidad and Tobago left back Keston Julien.
On Saturday 1 April 2023, Julien sprinted forward to get on the end of a counterattack for his employers, FC Sheriff Tiraspol, in an away fixture against Zimbru Chişinău when his knee gave way.
“It felt like a hard snap in my knee,” Julien told Wired868. “I got up and fell back down because I realised I couldn’t walk properly.”
Julien has not played a game since that match at the Zimbru Stadium in Chişinău, Moldova—not until yesterday.
On 28 September 2021, Julien famously helped Sheriff to a 2-1 win over Real Madrid at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Photo: Berengui/ DeFodi Images via Getty Images.
Madrid, then coached by renowned Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti, had the likes of Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior, Eden Hazard and Eduardo Camavinga in their starting team, while Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Rodrygo contributed from off the substitutes’ bench.
Yesterday’s outing, which saw Julien debut for Anguillan club Doc’s United FC in a 6-1 loss to Martiniquan team Club Franciscain in a CFU Club Shield affair at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, was infinitely more modest. But it was no less significant.
“After not playing football for two years, it was nice to get in an official game,” said Julien. “[…] Day by day, I think I’ll get better. It’s mainly been [seeing about] the physical part.
“I know I can play. I know I have the quality. It’s just a matter of getting back my fitness levels.”
A former Presentation College (San Fernando) standout, Julien hopes that his stint with Doc’s United is brief. He yearns to return to professional football in Europe, where he spent three years with Slovak bigwigs AS Trenčín and another three with Sheriff before disaster hit in Chişinău on April Fool’s Day in 2023.
The first hint that Julien’s body was not quite right came three days earlier at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, though.
Trinidad and Tobago were in a must win Concacaf Nations League B affair against Nicaragua. But were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw.
Coach Angus Eve had a stroke of luck, though, as Nicaragua were found to have played an ineligible player in an earlier round—so, despite the result, the Soca Warriors were gifted promotion to Nations League A and a spot at the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868.
But that good fortune did not extend to the then 24-year-old Julien.
“After that game [against Nicaragua], I was getting some pain in my knee,” he said. “I had to travel the next day to Moldova. The pain eased up a bit and I trained for two days. Then the day before the game [against Zimbru], the pain went up—but I played the game…”
Sheriff won 2-0 away to Zimbru, en route to an eight straight league title. But that was little consolation to Julien as he went for an MRI scan the next day at his club’s hospital.
Julien’s club, FC Sheriff, stunned Real Madrid in their Uefa Champions League clash on 28 September 2021 in Madrid.
For much of April, Julien got massages on his knee while he even tried to do running twice with the club. Close to the end of the month, his employers gave him an offer.
“The boss told me that I had three months left on my contract and they were not going to renew me,” said Julien. “So I could stay in Moldova doing therapy, or they would pay me off for the full three months and I could do the therapy at home in Trinidad.
“At the time, I also needed to see about my visa and stuff to play in the Gold Cup and just coming in for therapy was boring. So I figured I’d come home and see about my knee here (in Trinidad).”
(via TTFA Media.)
Julien returned to Gasparillo, where he lives with parents Wendell and Lisa Julien, to continue his recovery. It was only after he did an MRI at Gulf View Medical in La Romaine that he realised his employers had been less than forthright with him.
The talented left back needed surgery. And, since he agreed to terminate his contract with Sheriff, he had to pay for it himself.
Julien’s first surgery in 2023 cost roughly TT$43,000. His second, in February 2024, cost around TT$37,000. He spent roughly TT$16,000 for physiotherapy, before the financial strain started to overwhelm him.
Photo: MexSport/ Concacaf.
He is grateful that his Dutch agent, Humphry Nijman—who is represented locally through Dion Sosa—still saw value in the young men and agreed to take over those payments.
“I was without a club for two years,” said Julien. “Yes, I played at a high level and the salary was not huge, but decent. But if you don’t have an income for two years, and you have parents and siblings, and a girlfriend.
“After a while, it got difficult…”
Keston Julien is third from right.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868.
It seemed like the football world went on without Julien. Trinidad and Tobago played in the Gold Cup and then advanced to the Nations League A quarterfinal stage under Eve before the coach was sacked.
Derek King came as caretaker and then handed over the reigns to current coach Dwight Yorke. The Soca Warriors played the first 2026 World Cup qualifying round and a second Gold Cup tournament.
During that period, the Trinidad and Tobago left back and left wingback position was rotated between Triston Hodge, Ross Russell Jr, Andre Raymond, Darnell Hospedales and Tyrese Spicer.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868.
In Gasparillo, Julien might have felt forgotten.
“Mentally, it was a really tough two years,” he said. “It changed me a lot as a person. It made me view life differently. I didn’t think something like that could happen at that stage in my career—but it made me see that anything could happen at any time.
“It showed me not to take my football for granted. It made me get closer to God.”
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
In December 2024, 20 months after his injury, Julien finally got cleared to start light jogging. It took another two months before he was allowed to do light training with a football.
Then, finally, he got the green light to resume full training in February. Five months later, he was ready for his first proper competitive match with Doc’s United, who are led by former San Juan Jabloteh head coach Keith Jeffrey.
“[The injury] took a toll on me mentally [and] I wanted to give up plenty of time,” he admitted, “but I kept going by having faith in God. People around me kept motivating me. I leant on my mum, my girlfriend, my agent and friends.”
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
He is grateful to his new coach and teammates at Doc’s as well.
“The chemistry and communication have been good,” he said. “Everyone has welcomed me with open arms.”
Doc’s play their second and final Club Shield Group D fixture against Dominican club, Dublanc FC, from 2pm on Tuesday at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
They have little chance of advancing to the next round of competition. However, Julien will hope to sign off on a high and with another demonstration of his improving fitness.
Nijman hopes to get him an overseas trial soon, so he can resume his professional career. It is, Julien admitted, his first priority.
However, he is eager to wear the red, black and white strip again too.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868.
“I 100% am doing my best to get back into the national team set-up, [although] I have not spoken to Dwight Yorke,” he said. “The only thing I feel I lack as a footballer is my fitness. I think in a few months, everyone is going to see a fitter Keston Julien.”
By God’s grace, he did not break. And rather than being his epitaph, Julien’s Moldovan malaise will, he hopes, be an anecdote in his success story.
“I will come back stronger than ever,” he said. “This is going to be a stepping stone in my career.”
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
The Keston Julien Comeback Story is well underway.
(Editor’s Note: This story was done with reporting from Joshua Forte.)
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