Gerard Deulofeu wants to make ‘history’ after more than three years out injured
If it was just a matter of repairing his anterior cruciate ligament – and Deulofeu emphasizes that this was a “crazy” injury in itself, but one that most modern footballers have been able to recover from – he would have returned to represent I Bianconeri more than two years ago.
Indeed, the winger had successfully returned eight months after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament tear at Watford in 2020.
“You do the surgery and you replace your ACL, your system, and you make a gradual recovery,” he says. “But the problem was the infection.”
This infection was eating away at the cartilage in his knee; Each scan showed the cartilage gradually deteriorating, and Deulofeu had the feeling of bone on bone.
“I wasn’t the luckiest person,” he shrugs.
He consulted fellow Spaniard Santi Cazorla, who had ravaged his Achilles tendon with gangrene, and was inspired by the former Arsenal midfielder’s comeback.
“This is a great example,” says Deulofeu. “I can imagine how you’ve suffered these two and a half years, I can feel it now.”
Deulofeu’s first step was to undergo cell therapy to rebuild cartilage, but he encountered a setback after he tried running again.
“My knee needed to heal,” he explains. “To train hard, you have to recover first.”
Almost two years later, after continuing injections for cell therapy, he believes he is close to trying running once again.
It’s the product of, Deulofeu says, six months of building “muscle, muscle, muscle” in the gym, working with a physiotherapist and fitness trainer for three to four hours every morning, five days a week at the Stadio Friuli in Udinese.
“Let’s see if I can accept the coup,” he says. “I’m so happy because I feel like my leg is really strong. The more muscle you gain, the less pain there is inside your knee, so now I feel like my knee is ready to run.”
“I feel like I’m close. If we talk about muscle, I’m at the same level as the current players right now.
“But let’s see how they react without cartilage and meniscus…”
Deulofeu admits there were times when he thought about quitting, but he remains very optimistic and focused on his goal of returning to professional football.
“There are three really important things,” he explains. “One is, of course, family and home. In order to get through this period in a healthy way, your home must first be filled with peace and love every morning.
“Happiness, seeing your children grow up with your partner, a really nice peace and love at home. It’s really important to go to training every day in a good mood.”
