Long road back: BVB captain Can opens up with honest insights | OneFootball

After months of suffering, Emre Can has finally returned to the pitch. Now, the BVB captain speaks openly about setbacks, mental strain, and his most important supporters.

Emre Can has celebrated his comeback at Borussia Dortmund after months full of physical and mental challenges. The BVB captain had been sidelined since April with persistent adductor problems, causing him to miss, among other things, the Club World Cup and the start of the new Bundesliga season. Only in recent weeks was the 31-year-old able to return step by step – first with a brief appearance in the Champions League, then with his starting eleven comeback in the 1-1 draw in Hamburg.

In a club interview, Can spoke openly about how challenging this period was for him. “It wasn’t a good time, there’s no point beating around the bush. Above all, you have to stay extremely strong mentally,” explained the defensive player. What was particularly demoralizing, he said, was experiencing setbacks again and again during rehab. “I was already very far along, then I had to start from scratch again,” he reported.

Can wants to fight for titles with BVB

Can received important support from his teammates who were also injured and undergoing rehab at the same time. Nico Schlotterbeck kept cheering him up – sometimes with humor. His family also played a decisive role: Without them, Can said, “it wouldn’t have been possible at all. Otherwise, I would have had a breakdown mentally.”

The captain also admitted that the injury had dragged on since the Champions League match against Barcelona in April and that he had played through the previous season despite the pain. Playing a full 90 minutes was hardly possible towards the end of the season. Even now, after his comeback, he still feels “a few aches and pains,” as he admitted after the match in Hamburg. He doesn’t yet feel ready for regular appearances in a three-day rhythm.

Despite everything, Can is mostly relieved to be back on the pitch. Looking back, the long break was “perhaps the most difficult phase of my career,” he said. Now, for him, it’s about becoming fully fit again – and fighting for titles with BVB this season. “I really hope that we will be successful as a team,” said the captain.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.