Nouri was crown jewel in Ajax's golden generation before cardiac arrest in 2017

Abdelhak Nouri had the world at his feet in 2017. He had just helped Ajax to the Europa League final and, at 20 years old, was the focal point of a new golden generation at one of Europe's most storied clubs.

But his career was tragically struck down, before it had really begun, before he had had a chance to spread his wings and come close to fulfilling his talent.

'Appie' sustained severe and permanent brain damage after suffering a cardiac arrhythmia attack in a pre-season friendly with Werder Bremen in July of that summer.

The 22-year-old was in a coma for almost three years but has now awoken, and is recovering in a home especially built for his needs.

He communicates with his brother, Abderrahim, through raising his eyebrows, and is able to physically react when watching football on television.

His father Mohammed admits the family have been through a 'serious ordeal', adding: 'We have to take care of him at our very best. We try to do a lot ourselves.'

His brother Abderrahim told Dutch TV show De Wereld Draait Door: 'I must say that since he is at home it is going much better than before in the hospital.

'He sleeps, he sneezes, he eats, he burps, but it's not like he gets out of bed. He's very bedridden and still very dependent on us.

'On his good days, there is a form of communication, for example, confirmation with his eyebrows or a smile. But you notice that he can't last that very long.

'We talk to him like he's not sick. We take him into our conversations and we watch football with him in the living room, for example.

Tributes flew in from across the world of football for Nouri after the incident.

Cristiano Ronaldo sent him a 'Happy Birthday' video message. Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele played with Nouri's name and number stitched into his boots.

In his first season at Roma, former team-mate and close friend Justin Kluivert chose to wear the No 34 - Nouri's squad number.

Hundreds of fans showed their appreciation by gathering outside his home in Amsterdam shortly after the incident, which led to emotional scenes among his grateful relatives.

Despite disappearing from view in the years since, Nouri has never been far from the forefront of his former team-mates' minds. He was at the centre of their celebrations after last season's Eredivisie triumph - the club's 34th league title.

His father and brother were invited onto the podium for the celebration at the Museumplein in the city centre last May.

Captain Mathijs de Ligt, who has since left for Juventus, proclaimed on stage: 'Amsterdam, Ajacieden! We dedicate this title to Nouri, to our Abdelhak Nouri! This is for you!'

Ajax's golden generation may have split up, but Nouri remains in their hearts.

Two of the breakout stars from that Ajax generation, Frenkie de Jong and Donny van de Beek, are among Nouri's closest friends.

Van de Beek spent time at Nouri's house after the accident, rekindling memories of their childhood years together.

After scoring the equaliser against Juventus in the second leg of last year's Champions League quarter-final, which Ajax went on to win 2-1 in Turin, he turned and pointed to the back of his shirt in tribute.

'I looked at the screen and I saw my goal was in the 34th minute. It had to be him, you have to think,' he said.

De Jong has even claimed that Nouri played a part in securing his move to Barcelona last year.

'He talked to me a lot in a summer,' he said.

'When I sat with him, his mother came in. She then asked Appie, "Appie, where should Frenkie go? To Barcelona?"

'As soon as she said that, his eyebrow rose. That was a very special moment.'

Nouri knew little but Ajax in his football life. He is an Amsterdam boy, who grew up supporting his hometown club, and dreaming of wearing the famous red and white shirt.

He grew up in a suburb outside of Amsterdam called Geuzenveld. He honed his skills on the concrete yards that litter the area, where locals play football every hour of the day.

One of the cages he played in near the main train station is draped with a banner that reads 'Appie 4 Ever'.

He joined their academy at the age of seven, and never looked back. He was considered one of their most talented prospects before his path took a dark turn, and in 2016 he was one of Sportsmail's top 10 young stars in world football.

Before that fateful match at the tiny Lindenstadion Hippach, about 40 miles from Innsbruck, Nouri had suffered stomach pains and had not slept well. Conditions in the Alps that day were very hot.

Still, he played, replacing Chelsea-bound Hakim Ziyech after half-time. He collapsed onto his back in the 72nd minute and lay flat facing the sky above.

His team-mates rushed around him, some in tears, others saying their prayers. He was taken by helicopter to a nearby Innsbruck hospital where he entered and induced coma and was joined by family members.

A further tragic element was lent to the story a year later when Ajax accepted culpability for Nouri's condition, admitting they provided 'inadequate' on-pitch treatment.

'We recognise our responsibility and liability for the consequences of this,' club general manager Edwin van der Sar said in 2018.

'For a long time we were convinced that Abdelhak had received the best possible care on the field.'

The Dutch club said it had sought an external opinion during the incident and acted accordingly but further investigations showed that a defibrillator should have been used sooner in the treatment.

'Had this happened, it's possible that Abdelhak would have come out in a better condition. This isn't certain, but it's a possibility,' the former Manchester United goalkeeper added.

With De Ligt at Juventus, De Jong at Barcelona, and Van de Beek linked with both Manchester United and Real Madrid, it is tempting to wonder where Nouri could have wound up this summer.

While he has been robbed of a career at the top, his family, friends and team-mates will be overjoyed by his recovery thus far. If Ajax's title celebrations last summer are anything to go by, they will continue to live their careers through him.