Samu: “I wasn’t meant to be back for this match” | OneFootball

Seven months later, Samu returned to competition in a derby against Benfica and found in the fans’ support the setting he had imagined throughout his long recovery. In an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca, the Spain international spoke about his injury, Francesco Farioli’s trust, the competition up front and his ambition to return to the national team. Above all, he highlighted FC Porto’s unity and assured: “We are a family and we fight for each other.”

His return to the pitch put Samu back at the heart of a team that started the domestic competitions perfectly. Between the memory of the hardest days and confidence in what lies ahead, the number 9 described a recovery built on patience, solitude and hope, without hiding the emotional weight of the journey.

The first step came in a match with special meaning for the club, the city and the striker himself. The win and the fans’ reception turned his comeback into a night that will be hard to forget.

“It was a very long road, but thank God it has finally come to an end. In the end, everything went well. Coming back in such an important game for the Club, for the city and for the whole team was very special,” he said. “I will never forget the way the fans welcomed me. We managed to win the game and in the end everything went well.”

More than the end of an absence, the match represented reclaiming his place within the team. Samu returned on the biggest stage and found in the stands confirmation that he had not gone through the last few months alone.

The derby against Benfica was not initially supposed to be the moment of his return. However, the progress of the previous weeks and his medical clearance made it possible to bring forward a scenario the striker had only pictured for after the international break.

“It was everything I dreamed of. It was indescribable. The way the fans welcomed me was incredible and I will never forget it. I wasn’t expected to return in that game,” he revealed. “It was a very happy moment for me and my family. We had to manage the injury step by step. I thought I would only return after the international break, but I started feeling good in the previous weeks and the doctors gave me the all-clear. It went even better than I expected.”

Bringing it forward did not erase the caution that marked the whole process. His return came when his body responded and the doctors gave the green light, but the emotional impact went beyond what Samu had expected.

Until he reached that moment, the recovery was marked by ups and downs. The Spaniard admitted that the injury changed the way he looks at everyday life and taught him to value even what had once seemed routine.

“It’s a very long road. There are days when you don’t feel like getting out of bed, others when you take a step and feel you are getting closer and closer, but the next day you feel worse again. It’s a mix of emotions. I spent many hours alone, training, while watching my teammates play,” he explained. “Now I’m aware that you have to make the most of every moment, because we never know what can happen. I really value training with my teammates. There were days when I came to training sad or annoyed for no reason, and now I value every training session. It’s a lesson I’m taking with me: value every moment while we are healthy and can do what we love.”

The lesson came from distance: while the team competed, Samu worked alone to return. From that experience came a new awareness of how fragile every moment is and the value of being able to train with his teammates.

The emotional dimension of the injury became even clearer when he recalled the day he learned he would not be able to keep playing. The World Cup, the team’s fight and the impossibility of taking part in either weighed heavily during a period full of questions and few answers.

“I cried on the day they told me I wouldn’t be able to play anymore. At that moment, a lot of things went through my head. I realised I would not be able to take part in the World Cup or help my team in an incredible season fighting on all fronts. In the end, we became national champions and I cried watching my teammates play and knowing that I couldn’t,” he said. “I asked myself many times ‘why me?’ and ‘why now?’, especially with the World Cup just around the corner. It was very hard. The last time I cried was when I played again, because I felt free. It’s over now and I can once again do what I love so much.”

Tears accompanied both ends of the journey: first, the forced interruption; then, the feeling of freedom on his return. Between the two lay an absence that stopped him from helping, but not from living the team’s journey intensely.

Along the way, Francesco Farioli played a decisive role. Samu highlighted the trust he received from the FC Porto coach, especially when the injury made him doubt what place he would have after recovering.

“I owe everything to coach Farioli. He always trusted me, from day one, but since the injury he trusted me even more. He gave me a lot of confidence, encouraged me and helped me with everything I needed. All of that was very important for me,” he stressed. “I didn’t know whether he would still count on me after the injury, but he gave me that vote of confidence, told me he was counting on me and showed me how important I am to him. I feel very grateful. Not all coaches act like that.”

Farioli’s support served as reassurance at a time of uncertainty. For the striker, it was not just words of encouragement, but the certainty that he was still part of the plans.

Recovered, Samu does not hide his hunger for competition and goals, although he remains cautious like someone who has learned to move forward step by step. How he feels in training is feeding his confidence that his first goal will not take long.

“I’m very ambitious. I have to go step by step. During training I feel good, like I was never injured. Sometimes I even feel better than before. I live off goals, good performances and the help I can give the team, so I hope I can contribute with a lot of hard work and goals,” he said. “I’m sure everything will go well and that it won’t take me long to score my first goal. That instinct doesn’t disappear. I feel good, I’m confident and I’m sure it will be a good year for me and for the Club.”

His ambition remains intact, but it now comes with even greater attention to the process. Samu wants to make the difference again without skipping steps, and he sees daily work as the path to fully regain his influence.

The arrivals of André Silva and Santiago Gimenez have increased the options and the demands up front. Samu sees that competition as an opportunity to learn and grow, leaving the final decision in the coach’s hands.

“Our squad is super complete and that demands a lot from the three of us in training and in matches. I’m very happy to have André Silva and Santiago Gimenez in the team. We learn a lot from each other. I’m the youngest of the three, I have a lot to learn from them and that will make me a better player,” he said. “Competition demands much more from us on a daily basis and, in the end, it’s the coach who decides who plays. The most important thing is to help the team.”

His words leave no room for dramatics over the battle for a place. For Samu, internal competition raises the level of all three strikers and should serve the collective first and foremost.

It is precisely in the strength of the group that the Spaniard finds the explanation for FC Porto’s current form. After winning the league and making a victorious start to the domestic competitions, the striker calls for keeping both feet on the ground without reducing the ambition.

“Our secret is being a team. That’s what I like most about this group. We are a family and we fight for each other. Everything is going well. Last year was incredible. We won the league again three years later. With coach Farioli’s arrival, we started breathing different air and the truth is that this year we have also started well, winning every game in the domestic competitions,” he summed up. “We are very happy, but we know this is only the start of a very long journey. We have to keep both feet firmly on the ground and understand that our limit is ourselves. Our ambition is to win every game, even friendlies. That is what makes this club great. We are very happy and confident about the future.”

Unity appears as the starting point, not a reason to relax. The strong start has boosted confidence, but Samu insists the road is still long and that the high standards come from within the group itself.

That demand is also fuelled by everything surrounding FC Porto. The number 9 feels on the streets the obligation to win and sees the pressure as part of the responsibility of representing the badge.

“We are at a world-class club. When fans meet me on the street, the first thing they tell me is that I have to win. That is the atmosphere here,” he explained. “We feel a lot of pressure, but it is positive pressure, because we have to honour this badge. We only think about winning. The support of the fans is very important, because without them it would be much harder.”

In his account, the bar never drops under any circumstances. The pressure from the fans goes hand in hand with the support he felt on his return and helps define the competitive culture he found at the club.

With his comeback complete, the Spanish national team is back on the horizon. Used to being called up before the injury, both for the under-21s and the senior side, Samu admits it feels strange to be watching this phase from the outside, but he knows he needs to regain rhythm.

“Before I got injured, I used to be called up to the national team, whether for the under-21s or the senior side. It’s a bit strange to be left out, but this process is very long and I need to regain rhythm. I hope this is the last international break without playing.”

The striker does not hide that returning to the national team is a short-term goal, even though he recognises the difficulty of the task and the quality of the competitive environment.

“We are talking about the World Cup-winning national team. My goal is to return as soon as possible, adapt to the dynamics and make the most of my time with the national team,” he said. “I know it will be complicated, but I really believe in myself. If I do things well, I have a great chance of being called up again and that is one of my short-term goals.”

The immediate priority is to regain rhythm and confirm at FC Porto the good feelings from his return. His confidence, meanwhile, is already back: Samu believes that his performances at the club can once again open the door to the national team.

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