Dejan Kulusevski has described Tottenham Hotspur's Europa League final victory as one of the "hardest days" of his life. The winger was forced to watch from the sidelines as Spurs beat Manchester United 1-0 in Bilbao to secure their first European trophy and a first piece of silverware since their League Cup triumph in 2008.
Kulusevski was absent due to a serious patella injury sustained on the final day of the 2024-25 campaign against Crystal Palace, following a first-half collision with Marc Guehi. The Swedish international then missed the entirety of the 2025-26 season and has only recently returned to action, making his comeback in Spurs' 3-1 victory over Coventry City.
Emotional Return and Recovery
The former Juventus forward had told his mother that he did not think he would play football again. Speaking to Spurs' official club media, he revealed the mixed emotions of the Europa League final day.
"That was one of the hardest days in my life, I think," he said. "It was so beautiful to see all the people happy, but it was very difficult for me, going there with crutches, can't walk. I couldn't even take my medal because it was too slippery to go on that thing [the podium]."
He added: "Things like this was not nice but I accepted it and I came back to Barcelona and I had to stay there because I couldn't travel with the flight back so seeing the team celebrating on the bus, that was probably the most difficult part of all this journey, because you feel so alone in this time."
Looking Ahead
Kulusevski made a late substitute appearance in the 2-0 win at Chelsea last weekend. He will now aim to break into Roberto De Zerbi's starting XI as Spurs look to climb the Premier League table.
