By Olukayode Olumuyiwa.
Gerard Deulofeu, the fleet-footed winger who came through Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, won hearts at Everton with his dazzling runs, and became a Udinese hero with 20 goals and 16 assists in 80 Serie A games, has always played with a spark. His flair, that knack for turning a match with a single burst past a defender, made him a fan favourite, from Goodison Park to the Dacia Arena. But since January 2023, his world has been one of pain and patience. It started with a tackle in a match against Sampdoria—a routine clash that tore his ACL. What should’ve been a standard recovery spiralled into a nightmare. A surgery in Rome went wrong, and a brutal infection ate away the cartilage in his knee, leaving bone grinding on bone. Doctors delivered a grim warning: this wasn’t just about losing football; he risked struggling to walk.
For nearly 1,000 days, Deulofeu, now 31, has faced a battle bigger than the game. “It’s torture,” he told the Liverpool Echo in June, his voice heavy. “More than an injury—it’s like a disability.” The infection didn’t just threaten his career; it stole the chance to kick a ball about with his kids. Setbacks came hard: swollen knees, stalled progress, nights when the dream of playing again felt out of reach.
Yet every morning, he’s at Udinese’s training ground, training alone with rehab coach Angel Aceña watching closely. The club let him go from his contract in January 2025, a practical step, but kept their doors wide open—facilities, medical staff, and a quiet nod from owner Giampaolo Pozzo that he’s still one of theirs. “Udinese have always backed me,” Deulofeu said in a video that spread like wildfire online. “They waited. That’s family.” In August, at the European Super Cup at their Bluenergy Stadium, he said it again: “My future’s with Udinese.”
It’s a bond rooted in the black and white of Udinese, where fans still talk about the winger who could stun San Siro as a sub. Now, they cheer for a man rebuilding his body and hope. “The cartilage is nearly healed,” he told The Guardian this month, part scientist, part dreamer. “I need to train every day, no breaks. If I come back, it’ll be after 1,000 days. It might be the toughest recovery ever. But if anyone can do it, it’s me.”
That fire comes from deep within. Mates like Santi Cazorla, who fought back from his own nightmare injury to play at 40, send daily texts of support. His kids, not grasping the stakes, beg to see “Papa’s games” again. And Udinese’s fans? They’ve made his lonely fight theirs, with murals on the Dacia Arena walls and chants ringing out during his dawn sessions. “When I step on that pitch again,” Deulofeu says, picturing it with a lad’s grin, “this stadium will be packed. It’ll be a proper party.”
As Serie A heads toward its winter rush, no one knows when Deulofeu will return. There’s no set date, just small wins: a sprint without pain, a full practice without pulling back. At 31, with Spain caps and Premier League battles behind him, he’s no stranger to starting over. But this is different—a fight to turn pain into joy, to be the kid from Riudarenes who fell in love with football. If he pulls on that black and white shirt again, it won’t just be a comeback. It’ll be the loudest party Udine has ever seen.
Galaxy Sports Production
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