Barcelona midfielder Gavi could not hide his joy at being back on the pitch after a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury which kept him out for 11 months.
The Spaniard underwent surgery after suffering the bad injury in the European Champions’ Euro 2024 qualifying triumph against Georgia last year, as he missed the rest of the season.
The 20-year-old made his comeback on Sunday, receiving a standing ovation as he came on as a substitute in Barcelona’s 5-1 win against Sevilla in LaLiga.
“I’m very happy to be back with the team. I’ve been dreaming about this moment for many months and I’m grateful to everyone because they’ve made it so much easier for me,” Gavi told Movistar Plus.
“The worst thing during the layoff is not playing with my teammates. Seeing the team from the outside is very hard and gives you a different perspective, you learn that you have to enjoy every moment and appreciate things.
“I feel very lucky to be here today, recovered, because this is my life and what I’ve been doing all my life and I’ve missed it a lot… When you see all the fans and teammates over there and they show you that they love you and appreciate you, you feel very lucky.”
Barcelona sit at the summit of the LaLiga standings on 27 points, three ahead Real Madrid in second and seven clear of Atletico Madrid in third.
The Blaugrana will next host Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday before travelling to the Spanish capital to face rivals Real Madrid in LaLiga on Saturday.
