While last night saw Tottenham Hotspur pretty much eliminated from the Premier League title chase, there is a still a true feel good story to report. Spurs winger Erik Lamela made a substitute appearance in the 2-1 loss to Leicester City, and this was his first game in exactly 400 days.
Lamela missed 13 months of action due to hip injuries that required two operations, and the long lay-off had him fearing that he may never play the game again. He also described his time away from the pitch as “probably the worst time of my life.” The 25-year-old Argentine certainly did not hold anything back, opening up about his struggle and the long road back in interviews with the media.
“It was crazy,” reflected Erik Lamela. “It was probably the worst time of my life. I really wanted to play but it took too long, my injury.”
When queried about worries that he might never return, Lamela answered:
“Of course, in really bad times you always think the worst. But my family was always with me and the supporters wanted me on the pitch, they bring me energy to work every day and to never give up. I’m here today because I really wanted it, and when you really want something you can do it. The manager and all the staff honestly were amazing.
“They were always with me, behind me. All of us wanted the same thing – me playing. Sometimes you have to respect the times and today I feel better.”
Lamela said absolutely all the right things there as he thanked manager Mauricio Pochettino, the coaching staff and Spurs fans for all that they did to help hi on the comeback trail. He replaced Christian Eriksen in the 77′ and provided the assist on Harry Kane’s scoring strike, the only goal of the game for Spurs.
“Of course, I can get much better, I am still not 100 percent, but I am good enough to play and I’m happy to be back,” Erik Lamela added.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune corporation blogging community Chicago Now.
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