Radu Drăgușin (23 years old) offered an exclusive interview for GSP.ro, in which he spoke about the difficult period through which he went after the cross ligament rupture. He discussed the return process, intense hours of training in the room, important career decisions and other unique details of his life footballer in the Premier League.
Radu Drăgușin was appointed “Romanian footballer of the year” in 2023, when he promoted with Genoa in Serie A, and with the national team he managed, after an eight -year break, the qualification at the final tournament in Germany.
Later, the spectacular transfer, worth 25 million euros, in Tottenham, followed. However, after only one year in the Premier League, the central defender suffered a serious injury: a cross ligament rupture, in the match with Elfsborg, in the Europa League.
Drăgușin recently resumed the training with the team, and in a few weeks he is expected to return to an official match for the London band.
Radu Drăgușin: “The knee needs seven, eight, maybe even nine months of recovery”
When announcing a collaboration and image partnership with BRD, Radu Drăgușin offered an exclusive interview for the Sports Gazette.
– Radu, you have less and we see you on the ground. How was it and how are you?
– I'm fine! It was a long way, but in which I learned a lot about my body. I learned what patience means and what it really means to work when you are sure for an goal. Are close to recovery.
– Is it true that in England is there a compulsory complete scheme in case of injury?
– They are very strict with the recovery program and with the duration of this injury. Even if you feel good after five or six months, they know, from their experience, that the knee needs seven, eight, maybe even nine months of recovery so that everything is perfect.
– I mean you can feel that you are fit after “X” Monday, but they forbid you, right?
-I felt ready to get on the field, but they told me to wait, because they understand that I feel good and that I want to play, but from their experience, they told me it was better to wait.
Radu Drăgușin conquered Europa League with Tottenham // Photo: Guliver/Gettyimages
“I came across a football that I have never met anywhere!”
– Are things you hit and you may not expect when you arrived in England?
– I came across a football that I have never met anywhere! It is the strongest, intense and fast championship, with the best players, where the game takes place at an incredible speed. I knew this before I signed, I knew it was different from the one in Italy. It is less tacticized, but much more intense, fast, more on strength and one -one -one -one -the – -way duels.
– You said every time you are extremely attentive to nutrition, nutrition. Is that the same now?
– Food helped me during this period. I took care of some football aspects that, when you play every three days, you may not have time to manage them … Now I have spent more time in the gym, I spent more time to learn how to recover better, to learn my body. This accident, ok, is not the most pleasant thing, but I tried to make it as beneficial as possible.
– Are you just as active in the gym?
– Especially after this injury, I had to grow back in muscle mass, to develop myself and to take care of this intervention I had. Monitoring applications? Only those from Tottenham use them.
This is how Radu Drăgușin's foot looks after surgery
– You regret that you signed in England and you didn't choose Germany, for example?
– Why regret?! Not! I wanted to fight with the best and strongest. That was my dream. I'm in the place where I had to be. I would not have wanted to be in another place and I would not have changed anything.
The dam will be difficult, a very big fight for these places at the World Cup. But if it was easy, everyone was going. So that's the beauty
Radu Drăgușin, Tottenham defender
“I try to avoid any kind of work that hurts me psychically and physically.”
– Many English have criticized Florin Manea for behavior, statements, etc … Have you had a discussion about his reactions?
– Everything Florin Manea does for me is to help me, to take as much pressure from me and put it on it! For this I thank him very much, for everything he did for me! I couldn't want another agent other than him. This makes a good agent!
Radu Drăgușin was happy with Florin Manea and brothers Gabriele and Valerio Giuffrida after signing the contract with Tottenham
– How would you characterize Radu Drăgușin's route?
-All the experiences I had, both as a junior and seniors, helped me to get to the place where I am now.
– What is the best life lesson you learned from football?
– injury is not the most important lesson, it is just the most difficult. You can no longer do what you love. Many lessons you learn during a football career, especially when you are a junior, when you develop.
Radu Drăgușin, “Romanian footballer of 2023”. Photo: Ionuț Iordache
– Two years ago, when you came out the Romanian footballer of the year in the newspaper investigation, you said: “I care about the press reactions.”
– Normal. Why? The press does not know all the work we do in the back, all the video hours … For me, the most important opinion is the family and people who really know the work and sacrifices they do.
– How's Radu Drăgușin when he's not at workouts? How do you relax, what do you like to do, how do you have fun?
– I try to avoid any kind of work to harm me psychically and physically. Home is the place where I disconnect, the place where I try to do other things, where I take my thoughts from the field and the place where I want to be as relaxed as possible.
