Premier League fans will fondly remember Gerard Deulofeu as the blonde-haired winger who had the talent to seemingly win games for the likes of Everton and Watford all by himself. These days, however, the Spaniard is without a club and has not played a game of football for nearly three years.
Still only 31, and with four Spain caps, and experience in La Liga, Serie A and England's top-flight, many will be surprised to learn of Deulofeu's struggles. He may have fallen on hard times in recent years, but the winger is eyeing a return to the top, even though he admits it may well be 'the most difficult recovery in history'.
Gerard Deulofeu Sidelined For Years Amid Injury Nightmare
Gerard Deulofeu in action for Udinese
After leaving Everton for the second time in 2017, he spent time with AC Milan, Barcelona, and Watford before joining Italian side Udinese on a permanent deal in 2021, after an initial loan. His troubles began in late 2022.
He'd torn an anterior cruciate ligament in a game against Napoli but appeared to have healed sufficiently during the break for the winter World Cup. Only two months later, he took to the pitch against Sampdoria.
Coming on as a substitute in the 77th minute, back on on 22 January 2023, he lasted 12 minutes. Speaking recently to the Guardian, Deulofeu recalled how things went badly wrong:
“It was bad, but not too much. But in every action I tried, a one-two or something like that, the knee just went. I had to ask to be taken off. The ACL was completely broken.”
Things only got worse from here. He had surgery in Rome, but sustained a nasty infection. His cartilage was ravaged, reducing his knee movements to bone against bone. Putting football to one side, even, is long-term mobility was a major concern.
“It’s not like a usual injury,” he said. “As an old person it can happen that your knee is completely destroyed, and now it happened to me because the infection was getting worse and worse each month.
“I knew from those early months that I couldn’t be back quickly. In every MRI I had, the cartilage had deteriorated. I lost my muscle, my knee wouldn’t flex properly, there was a lot to recover and it was very slow.”
He returned to Barcelona, having managed 23 senior appearances for the club he first joined to be part of the fabled La Masia academy in 2003. The plan was to have cell treatment, where cells are transplanted from a piece of healthy cartilage into the damaged area.
He'd already been out for nine months at this stage, and it took another six months to have him running again in June 2024. That appeared to be too much too soon, though, and now, a year on, he hasn't run properly since.
Deulofeu feels as though the cartilage is 90 per cent healed but wants to build more strength in the knee to reduce the chances of further setbacks, explaining: “I need to be able to train every day, not one day on and the next day off."
His contact with Udinese terminated in January, but the club have agreed to support his recovery and will even keep the door open for a return. The Spaniard is thankful for this, noting: “They’re waiting for me. Giving me the time and passion to recover. I really appreciate that they have helped me and given me this opportunity to stay here, working in this amazing stadium.”
Udinese also encourage him to mix with the first-team squad, which is much changed since he last played, and he even helps new players settle into the area. There are dinners and the occasional drink, while he sometimes watches training. He spends hours using an oxygen machine to aid his recovery, and remains hopeful through it all:
“I know I’m trying something special. Maybe it’s the most difficult recovery in history. If I manage to come back it’ll be more than 1,000 days. But I’m a guy who takes care of himself and I think I can do it. If there’s one guy to do it, it’s me.”
Deulofeu 'Proud' of Career But Not Giving Up Yet
Gerard Deulofeu
Deulofeu has ambitious plans to make it back to the top, but now in his early 30s, has also taken the time to reflect on all that he has achieved. He remarked:
“Now that I’ve had to pause, I can see how big my career was and is. I’m really proud. I came from Barcelona: people can see that and maybe say you could have been more successful, but you have to appreciate I already played for Barça, Milan, won the Europa League with Sevilla, played in the Champions League, played for the national team and scored, reached the FA Cup final with Watford. OK, of course it can be better but that’s just ‘maybe, maybe’. What can I demand more from my career than all this?”
Despite this, he continues to work hard on his rehab, waking up early five days a week, to try and rebuild himself from his injury troubles. On his hopes, he explained that he's a few months away from getting back onto the training pitch:
“Let’s see if I feel good out there. If I don’t, then maybe I have to take a decision. But I’m only 31, and I just want to try. I have time, the club is giving me time, so I don’t want to put a date on it.
“I know that one day, if I’m playing out here again, this stadium is going to be completely full. I know how it’s going to be that day for this city and this club. It’s going to be a party. They know how much I love this club and how I played when I was available. We want to make history together.”
At the very least, he has a friend and fellow Spaniard Santi Cazorla as an example to follow. The midfielder also suffered an infection after having surgery on an injury and spent 636 days on the sidelines. These days, however, he can be found playing for Real Oviedo in La Liga at the age of 40.