Radu Drăgușin, the first words after returning to the field at Tottenham: “Today I saw the light”

The Romanian defender had not played in an official match since January 30, 2025. After a knee operation and 332 days of absence, Radu came on in the 85th minute of the match against Crystal Palace in place of Archie Gray.

The Romanian stopper also had a dangerous phase at the very first touch.

In a flash-interview provided for his team's social media channels, the Romanian described the limestone experienced and the feeling of returning to the turf.

Radu Drăgușin, after Crystal Palace – Tottenham: “My family was here, we won. It's the best comeback”

“It's been a long journey. It's been the biggest challenge of my life, but I've kept going, I've had people by my side to help me. My colleagues, my family, my fiancee. Like I said, I knew the road was going to be long and there was going to be a light at the end of it. Today I saw the light. I can't even describe the feeling.

I felt normal again when the coach called me to enter the field. I missed that feeling, the atmosphere, the fans and my teammates on the pitch. I missed football. I am very happy now.

I couldn't ask for a better comeback. My family was here, I won. It's the best comeback.

I learned this year to be patient and to believe. To practice the same things over and over again. Much of my recovery was doing the same thing over and over again, all to get a normal knee again. It sounds easy, but it's a lot that the surgeon did to my knee. To come back and play at Premier League level, it took a while. Patience was the most important thing I learned this year.

I hope that in 2026 I will return to the field and fight for my place in the team. I hope that the next year will be better than 2025. For us, as a team”, Radu Drăgușin sent to Tottenham's social media channels.

Radu Drăgușin later also posted a message on social networks.

I didn't even know where to start. 11 months ago, I went from doing what I love most to not being able to do it anymore. But I never gave up. I knew it would be a long and hard road with many ups and downs.

I had the right people around me, teammates and staff, who helped me on and off the field. My family has always been there for me, especially in difficult times. It was 11 months of learning, suffering, good days and some bad. But that's life. 11 months where we got better than yesterday, even if only by 1%.

It's great to be back on the field, next to my teammates, in front of our fans. Thank you to everyone who supported me during this time. It meant so much.

– Radu Dragusin on Instagram

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