Samu recalls serious injury: “The ‘why me?’ hours are the worst” | OneFootball

Samu Aghehowa spoke to ROOF (Representatives of Outstanding Footballers), the agency that represents him, about the complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, suffered in February 2026. The FC Porto forward discussed his recovery and how the injury affected him emotionally.

The player began by highlighting the transformation he went through, especially on a psychological level:

“It was a huge test, especially mentally. I’m a very emotional person and I think this made me much stronger mentally. Valuing the moments when you play, valuing every minute you play, every minute you train, always giving your best. In the end, it was a very long journey that is now coming to an end. It made me value every moment to the fullest and, above all, be much stronger mentally.”

Asked what advice he would give himself at the moment he got injured, Samu Aghehowa shared what he would have liked to hear:

“The first thing I’d say would be to stay calm, that nothing was going to happen. But, well, with the whole injury now behind me, I’d say that if it happened, it was for a reason, that I shouldn’t beat myself up mentally with ‘why me?’, but that, in the end, I should take it all as a challenge.”

The Spanish international also revealed that faith was an important source of support throughout his recovery:

“If God wanted me to go through this, it was because He had something better for me in the future. I think I’d tell myself that all that effort and all that suffering were worth it.”

In closing, the forward stressed the role of psychological support and the presence of those closest to him in overcoming one of the most demanding periods of his career:

“Those hours when you think ‘why you?’, I think are the worst, but they were worth it. The extra hours I put into the mental side of things, talking to my psychologist in this case, and being close to all the people around me were what helped me overcome this tough challenge.”

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