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Richard Lee returns for his latest Footballers' Football Column with a brand new look. After the play-off heartache in May, the Brentford goalkeeper jetted off to Greece for a Wayne Rooney-style hair transplant. Lee discusses how the transplant works as well as how he is recovering from his shoulder injury. Lee also explains why he has a new respect for referees.
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I?m still on a high after watching Andy Murray clinically dispose of Novak Djokovic in a superb performance on Centre Court. I sat there like many others with a tear in my eye explaining to my girlfriend that this is every athletes? dream to experience even a fraction of what Andy Murray would?ve experienced.
You dedicate your life to something, it consumes your thoughts and your time all for that one moment, that incredible moment that Murray would?ve felt as he dropped his racket to the floor and knew that he was the first British Wimbledon champion for 77 years.
He's done it! Andy Murray celebrates winning the Wimbledon trophy
Mission complete: Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets to win Wimbledon
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It?s moments such as these that make it all worthwhile, the heartache from last year, the criticism that inevitably follows any rise but now his name etched in the record books for eternity and no doubt more accolades will follow.
I certainly wouldn?t be surprised if a knighthood and Sports Personality of the Year award weren?t too far away. Incredible accomplishment by a truly world class athlete.
Well done Andy.
If we could draw a comparison then I would assume winning at Wembley in the play-offs would evoke similar feelings, however that being said our goal this season is to go one better and aim to secure automatic promotion and that journey starts now.
Pre-season is upon us so cue the intense heat. This is now my 15th pre-season and perhaps it?s just my perception but someone always seems to turn the dial up several degrees when we return to training, as if the training itself isn?t hard enough.
With us making the play off final, this off season break was particularly short, around the five week mark.? My break was even shorter with the majority being spent in the Brentford? gym trying to strengthen my shoulder, which is now three and a half months post-surgery.
This allowed me to see first-hand the many great things that have been going on at the training ground.? The place has certainly been given an uplift and is now more that prepared for Championship football.
Lots of new gym equipment, as well as a state of the art sprinkler system and even a new car park.
In regards to the shoulder I'm pleased to say that progress has been good albeit long. I'm still not quite in a position where I can take part in goalkeeper training but I'm confident that I'm on course to make a full recovery and once again put in a serious challenge for that place between the sticks.
Despite very little time off, I did get the chance to make an excursion to Greece in order to have 4,200 new hairs put into my head. Yes that's right, I went for a 'Rooney'. Similar to Rooney this was the second time I've had the procedure and I must say it really is quite extraordinary how it's done.
Hair today, gone tomorrow: Wayne Rooney after hair transplant in 2011
New head of hair: Rooney shows off his new head of hair after his transplant
The company responsible for doing the surgery, DHI Global are arguably the best in the world as they were the ones who pioneered the FUE method in which they essentially take hair from the side or back of your head and insert it into the sparse areas.
When you think about it, you'll never see someone who's bald to the point that they don?t grow hair around the sides and back. That?s because these particular hairs have permanent DNA, meaning they?re programmed to grow forever.
Measuring up: Richard Lee begins his hair transplant in Greece
Hair we go: Lee shows the various stages of his hair transplant
Work in progress: Lee show the work that has gone into his hair transplant
The waiting game: Lee just has to wait for the treatment to pay off
The procedure is reasonably long - 10 hours in total - as they have to remove and implant each hair individually. You remain wide awake the whole time but it?s completely pain-free thanks to local anaesthesia.
The beauty of this treatment opposed to the 'strip' method which is still the more popular option, is that there is no scaring whatsoever - it is just redistribution of your current hair.
Ironically since having the procedure I've been sporting a skinhead look and I like it! Certainly much less effort required. It is nice to have the option however and if for some reason it doesn?t work then I can always nab some stock from my cap company,?Dr Cap.
With my newly implanted head of hair I?ve recently embarked on a four-day stay at St Georges Park, the new national football facility, in order to help the rehab process with my shoulder.
Nice surroundings: Lee has spent time at the national football centre at St George's Park
State of the art facilities: Lee continued his rehab work at St George's Park
Fit as a fiddle: Referee Chris Foy has been training at St George's Park
The facilities there are incredible, which include an underwater treadmill, a pool in which you can digitally set how deep you want it to be, a full size 4G pitch, a Hilton hotel on site as well as pretty much anything else you can comprehend.
Premier League referee Chris Foy was amongst six of us given the opportunity to train there for the week. I never really appreciated how physically fit you need to be in order to be a ref but working alongside Chris offered me a new perspective.
Not an ounce of body fat on him and lifting heavier weights that any of us.
Tough work: The Brentford players do press-ups in the river on as part of their boot camp in Germany
Missing out: Lee was not with the rest of the squad in Germany due to his rehab work, but Alan McCormack (left) Harlee Dean and Shaleum Logan were put through their paces
Gym work: Sam Saunders (right) joins in the gym workout at the start of the boot camp
Track work: Jake Reeves (L), Adam Forshaw, George Saville and Sam Saunders on the athletic track
While I've been at St George's Park, the other lads at Brentford have been in Germany on a pre-season tour. We all return to the training ground on Tuesday to prepare for some exciting fixtures, which include a game against the Scottish champions, Celtic as well as games against Millwall and Cardiff.
The question I've been asked several times in the last week or so is in regards to what the feeling is like around the place after the way in which last season drew to a close and I've certainly been really impressed.
The additions of Alan McCormack, George Saville and Will Griggs will all add further quality to the squad and I believe that the pain from last season will help drive us. The atmosphere has been great and the training of a very high standard.
So here we go again - time to put last season?s heartbreak behind us and use it as motivation to make sure that we put it right this time around. I?m sure there was some British tennis player that did something similar recently?
Come on you Bees!
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