Dejan Kulusevski has revealed he told his mother he did not think he would be able to play again while recovering from a long-term knee injury. The Tottenham forward was sidelined for over 18 months with a patella problem sustained on the final day of the 2024-25 campaign against Crystal Palace.
Injury and Missed Final
The Swede suffered an innocuous collision with Marc Guehi, now of Manchester City, which ruled him out of Spurs' 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final in Bilbao. Brennan Johnson's winner secured the north Londoners' first trophy since the League Cup in 2008.
Kulusevski described that day in the Basque country as "one of the hardest days of my life", recalling that he could not celebrate with his team-mates or collect his winners' medal.
Conversation with His Mother
In an interview with Spurs' official club media, the winger detailed the conversation he had with his mother about potentially ending his football career because of the persistent knee trouble. "I told my mother, I sat with her and I told her 'listen, I don't think this is going to work out'," he said. "I had to prepare her, I don't think I can play anymore."
Return and Reflection
Kulusevski, who made his return in the 3-1 win over Coventry recently, recalled the challenge from Guehi that caused his long spell on the sidelines. "I remember the game, it felt a great warm-up, and then I remember the hit after 10 minutes," he continued. "It was pain but it didn't hurt that much, it has been much worse. I could feel that the knee was moving a little bit too much. I broke my cartilage, and the cartilage flew out and went to another part of the knee, and they can't fix cartilage so in the scan they could see that a part of my cartilage was gone."
