Mick Doohan explains how he ‘helped’ Marc Marquez revive his MotoGP career long before 2025 title

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Marc Marquez’s journey back from the depths of injury despair is finally complete after he won his seventh MotoGP title at the Japanese Grand Prix. And now fellow motorcycling legend Mick Doohan has revealed the role he played in a remarkable comeback.

Marquez had to undergo four surgeries in the space of two years after breaking his humerus at the start of the 2020 season. The first three procedures had failed to deliver a lasting solution.

Marquez considered retiring at his lowest moments, but has now reached a level that some see as his all-time peak. With 25 victories from 34 events this season, he’s now over 200 points clear of the field.

Back in 1992, Doohan injured his leg so severely in a crash at Assen that the doctors weighed up an amputation. He was leading the championship at the time, and recovered from the career-threatening incident to win five straight titles between ’94 and ’98.

Marc Marquez and Mick Doohan had honest ‘conversation’ about MotoGP injuries

Speaking to Motorsport after Marquez sealed the title, Doohan revealed that he had ‘several’ conversations with the Spaniard during his rehab at the start of the decade.

He thinks his unique perspective ‘helped’ Marquez, who saw that there was a route back to the top. Both riders felt they ‘had a score to settle’.

He doubted himself for years, even after leaving Honda to ride a Ducati. Marquez told his father he was ‘out of steam’ at last year’s British GP, but he beat Jorge Martin to a factory deal, the final step towards his revival.

“Marc and I spoke several times during that recovery period,” said Doohan. “There aren’t many people in the world with whom you can have that kind of conversation, because there aren’t many of us who have been in that kind of situation. That’s probably what helped him.

“There are many similarities with my case, because I was also dominating before crashing at Assen. And it also took me a few years to recover.

“The drive that has led him to not hold anything back is the desire to continue racing, the same as mine. Marc had a score to settle, and there’s nothing more motivating than that to empty yourself.

• READ MORE: Marc Marquez’s five biggest MotoGP crashes

“On a mental level, what he’s achieved shows how strong Marc is. So many injuries and so many operations lead you to discover the deepest part of yourself, as an individual. All the effort behind what he’s done explains why he’s such a humble guy.

“This title will be very gratifying for Marc, especially because he considered retirement. The time he was injured seemed endless and extremely hard. But I’m sure he looks back now and believes it was all worth it.”

Mick Doohan’s verdict on whether Marc Marquez has just made sport’s greatest comeback

Some feel that Marquez’s triumph transcends MotoGP. It’s been called the greatest comeback in the history of sport.

In a conversation with Mat Oxley of Motor Sport Magazine, Doohan questioned whether any other athlete had these heights after so severe an injury.

“I’m not sure any other sportsman or sportswoman has been able to come back from an injury like he’s had,” he said. “For me, he’s just a different breed.”

Marquez promised Honda bosses he would win again in 2022, with the Japanese manufacturer entering a decline. To do so, he had to make perhaps the most difficult decision of his career.

Another title next year, which looks overwhelmingly likely at this stage, would draw him level with Giacomo Agostini at the top of the premier-class leaderboard.