Former Watford and Everton man Gerard Deulofeu has hinted that he’s still eyeing a return to football after 1000 days on the sidelines.
The Barcelona-produced winger hasn’t played since January 2023 for Italian outfit Udinese but has refused to succumb to retirement.
Deulofeu has been sidelines for a brutal 1000 days, but still wants to return
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Deulofeu has been sidelines for a brutal 1000 days, but still wants to returnCredit: Getty
The Spaniard keeps saying he'll be back on social media
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The Spaniard keeps saying he'll be back on social mediaCredit: Twitter/X
The 31-year-old suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury which later became infected and ruled him out of any form of exercise.
His Udinese contract was terminated in January 2025 and a return doesn’t appear to be near, despite moments of hope.
However, replying to a post about reaching 1000 days on the sidelines, the Spaniard sent a winking emoji and some biceps, perhaps suggesting that he knows something we don’t.
On top of that, he later posted an image on Instagram of himself in Udinese training gear, giving some hope he’s back on the pitch.
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Will Deulofeu retire?
Days earlier Deulofeu was interviewed by The Guardian and discussed his ambition to return.
“I know I’m trying something special,” he said. “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.”
His initial ACL injury occurred in November 2022, but his return two months later ended in disaster.
“It was bad, but not too much,” he recalled. “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.
“It’s not like a usual injury, 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.
Deulofeu is well remembered as a cult hero with Watford and Everton
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Deulofeu is well remembered as a cult hero with Watford and Everton
“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.”
Gerard Deulofeu's long injury recovery
Despite having his contract terminated, Deulofeu has continually praised Udinese and their Pozzo family owners who also employed him at Watford from 2017 to 2020.
The Spaniard began running again in June 2024, and was included in Udinese’s squad presentation ahead of the 24/25 season, an act of goodwill rather than a sign of a return.
Speaking to Sky Italia in August, he said: “Let’s see if I can play again. I’m still young.
“Luckily, I know that the Pozzo family – owners of Udinese – are waiting for me.
“They allow me to enjoy the excitement of being with my teammates in the locker room, in the stadium… Without a doubt, the future would pass through Udine.
In: Gerard Deulofeu (Everton) - £6.4m
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Formerly of Barcelona, Everton and Milan, the winger only wants to return with Udinese
“I am an emotional and passionate person. And when you see that a family is waiting for you and gives you this affection, I don’t see any other place to celebrate your return.”
Deulofeu managed 20 goals and 21 assists in 127 Premier League games and is clearly an asset to any big side, and he isn’t going to give up on his recovery any time soon.
“Sometimes I think about that,” he said of retirement.
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“Thoughts pop up that say: ‘Oh Gerard, finish, just finish because you already made a good career and have a family.’ But if I say to my wife that it’s too difficult and I don’t think I’ll be back, she says: ‘Let’s try, you’re going to do it.’
“That’s my strength: those positive messages from my wife, and the fact my kids want to see me playing. So I’m trying, but there are days when the thoughts are bad.”