Played with Messi at Barcelona, out since 2023, hopes for miracle return | OneFootball

The Spanish forward Gerard Deulofeu is going through a very distressing period that has put his future as a footballer in jeopardy, as he went from sharing a locker room with Lionel Messi at Barcelona and lifting trophies in Europe to facing a medical problem that has kept him off the pitch for years.

The nightmare began in January 2023, when he was playing for Udinese and suffered a serious knee injury during a match against Sampdoria. That rupture led to a rare infection that turned his recovery into an uncertain and painful journey.

The diagnosis was so severe that the player himself described it as an almost permanent incapacity. In an interview with Flashscore, he explained that the cartilage became infected after the cruciate ligament rupture and compared the situation to “having a prosthesis in the knee,” an image that reflects the magnitude of the problem.

Beyond the physical, the emotional impact was devastating. Amid unconventional treatments, the striker admitted: “I can’t count the number of times I’ve thought about quitting… but this experience has made me tough as stone.” And, referring to the pain of feeling “bone against bone,” he added: “I’m fighting against biology.”

Uncertainty also affects his family life. The footballer confessed that his children, who have always seen him as a player, now ask him to return to the pitch. “That breaks my heart,” he acknowledged, describing a motivation as powerful as it is distressing.

As the months went by, encouraging signs began to appear. The Spaniard confirmed that the cartilage area is already showing signs of healing and explained the new goal: to strengthen the muscle in order to train twice a day. “Before, I would work out one day and rest for two; now the knee responds well,” he noted, although he clarified that a return still seems distant.

At Udinese, they are supporting the process with patience and hope. Gökhan Inler, head of the technical area, assured AS: “We never abandoned him, he’s still with us. He trains every day and we give him energy so that the ‘miracle’ can happen.” He even emphasized that if he manages to come back, it would be a record due to the length of the recovery.

After more than two years without competing, the future remains open. There are no dates or certainties, but there is one conviction that remains intact: to fight until the end to feel like a footballer again, even when the body imposes limits that are hard to overcome.

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