Connor Goldson will never forget the moment he learned just how close he was to sudden death.It came in February 2017 when, while at Brighton, he underwent what he described as a ‘routine check-up.’Goldson was with Rangers for six seasonsGetty Images - GettyIt was anything but routine, as Goldson learned he had an aortic root which was ‘too big.’“They said it was dangerously big and if it pops, you’re dead straight away,” Goldson said on talkSPORT Breakfast.Following an operation, Goldson returned to football and eventually joined Scottish giants Rangers in June 2018.Goldson didn’t need long to establish himself as a key member of the team, making 54 appearances across all competitions in his first season.The defender went on to feature over 300 times for Rangers and helped the club scoop three trophies.Perhaps Goldson’s best displays came in the 2020/21 campaign as he helped Gers go unbeaten to win the Scottish Premiership.Goldson’s exploits also earned him a spot in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year.Eventually the time came to depart Glasgow and that took place in July 2024, when Goldson joined Cypriot club Aris Limassol.How did Connor Goldson learn he needed open heart surgery for a second time?Goldson was on the move two years later to fellow Cypriot outfit Apollon Limassol, but he’ll have to wait to make his debut for this new employers.That’s because he had to undergo open heart surgery for the second time.The 33-year-old hasn’t let heart issues stop him from doing what he lovestalkSPORTGoldson learned his heart had grown in size following an annual check-up in Cyprus, something he could not believe when first told.The shocking news prompted him to return to London, where he consulted the surgeon who operated on him in 2017.Upon being told for a third time his heart had grown in size, Goldson went under the knife just ten days later, with the operation lasting 13 hours.“I was in ICU for 24 hours,” Goldson said.“I was in the high-dependency unit for another 24 hours, then I was back on the ward and in my own room on the third day.”Did Connor Goldson contemplate retirement after heart surgery?Given it was his second significant heart operation in less than a decade, the prospect of retirement may have crossed Goldson’s mind.Goldson was told his career may be over, only for his London surgeon to tell him otherwiseAFPThe doctors Goldson consulted in Cyprus even told the 33-year-old to ‘forget football’ and to focus on his wife and three children.But his surgeon in England quickly put Goldson’s fears to bed.“He’s so confident and arrogant, but in a good way,” Goldson said.“He’s like, ‘Mate, you have the operation, 12 weeks and you’re fit. Let the bone heal and you’ll be fine.’“I’m like, ‘Ok, but they said in Cyprus I might need to retire and forget football.’ “He was like, ‘My friend, why do you think they come to England for heart operations? They come to see me because I am the best in the world. You need to exercise, you need to have a healthy heart. Even if you don’t play football, I tell you every day to go to the gym and to run, so in 12 weeks, go play football.'”The 33-year-old now has a Cypriot First Division campaign to look forward to once he’s back up and runningGettyWhen will Connor Goldson return to football?Goldson is now back in Cyprus, where he continues to build up his fitness and is running every day.However, he is not allowed to do any contact work just yet because his ‘chest bone is broken in half.’“I’m itching to get back, especially now that I’m back on the pitch,” Goldson said.“I’m playing with a ball, I’m running 5km in my sessions.“The surgeon said to me, 12 weeks for this bone to heal. The heart’s fine straight away. I had a follow-up with him 10 days ago, he gave me the all-clear, everything’s all good with the heart, so now it’s just this chest bone basically healing.“He said 12 weeks, I’m five weeks down. In that time, I’ll get fit and I’ll get ready and we’ll see after that.”