Prior to this latest setback, a chest injury had kept him out of seven matches for former club Empoli at the end of the 2022/23 campaign. Other than that, it has been a career unblemished by injury that has seen Vic rise through all four tiers of Italian football to establish himself at Spurs and in Italy’s national team.
Faced with his first major injury and three months out of action, the Italian stopper - who has racked up all four of his international caps since joining us - initially turned to his football idol for inspiration as he embarked on the long road to recovery ahead.
Passionate about this club and a key figure within the dressing room - becoming the latest addition to our leadership group that comprises Club captain Heung-Min Son and vice-captains James Maddison and Cristian Romero - he worked tirelessly to get back, finding solace and strength in the support system around him at Hotspur Way.
“It’s been very tough,” he disclosed. “It was my first big injury in my career. At the beginning you don’t know how to deal with it, the emotions, if you’re feeling down, you’re not used to it. I wasn’t used to being injured so it was a big one.
“I read the biography of Gianluigi Buffon. He speaks about his life, his career and how he overcame his issues. So, for this period of my life, it was the perfect place to start with my idol. He was my first inspiration. I can say everyone at the football club has been very, very close to me - from the coaches, to the cooks, cleaners, all my team-mates inside the dressing room and the medical staff - a big thanks to them.
“The medical staff did an unbelievable job to help me and I’m really happy to be back. In the 11 weeks I put in a lot of hard work, a special thanks to everyone here at the Club who stayed close and made my life much easier.”
Despite enduring a frustrating time out when having to sit by and watch on as an injury-hit squad went 21 games without his services, Vic’s enforced absence offered a fresh perspective, and he instead found a different way to remain a vital presence within the group during his spell on the sidelines.
Credit to his professionalism and commitment, it was little surprise to see him return ahead of schedule to face Manchester United - marking his return with an impressive performance and clean sheet to help secure a 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 16 February.
“It was a long journey,” he admitted. “A long process to believe in and get through, but it’s been an exciting part of my life and a different chapter.
“I learned a lot of things. When you see things from the other side, from another perspective, and you cannot help your team-mates who have been playing every three days for two-and-a-half months to deal with tough moments, was really hard for me. I tried to stay close to them, to have a few chats and words with them to help. The period was tough, we had a few losses, but we are a big family and we need to keep going until the end.”