Kulusevski ends 526-day injury nightmare with emotional Tottenham return against Coventry

Dejan Kulusevski made his first Tottenham appearance since May 2025 as a late substitute in a 3-1 victory over Coventry City on Monday night, ending a 526-day absence that the Swedish midfielder admits he feared might be permanent.

Kulusevski received a standing ovation from the Spurs faithful on his return, and was greeted by his family pitchside after the final whistle — one of his children wearing a shirt with the words “526 days - my hero” printed on the back.

“The journey felt impossible,” Kulusevski said. “It was the most difficult it could be, but I had a feeling I was going to come back to play football. I just had to believe and that is what I do.”

The 25-year-old revealed that the mental toll of the serious knee injury had pushed him to a breaking point just months before his comeback, to the extent that he felt compelled to prepare those closest to him for the worst.

“I never lost belief but it seemed impossible,” he said. “I had to tell my closest ones it might not work out, just a couple of months ago — but in my heart I always knew it would work out. I kept working, 10 hours every day when no one is watching, so when everything was impossible and everyone gave up, I never gave up.”

Kulusevski was not the only returning face on the night. James Maddison started his first game in 18 months, but it was the Swedish playmaker’s reappearance that generated the most emotion at the ground. Kulusevski acknowledged the reception warmly and suggested the long road back will ultimately sharpen him as a player.

“I am so grateful that they miss me play. It means a lot and I am here to show them a better me. And a better me will be a better Spurs, so we will be good,” he said.

Reflecting on the psychological weight of a near two-year absence, Kulusevski drew on a striking analogy to convey what the period had cost him. “Football for me is like breathing. Imagine you can’t breathe for two years but still you have a family, you show up, you do it with a smile — that takes a lot of love, a lot of courage.”

He added that he felt a mental shift approximately five days before the Coventry match. “I was not nervous. I was ready to play. It was fun. I clicked about five days ago because it gets better all the time and keeps getting better.”

Tottenham’s 3-1 win provided the ideal backdrop for one of the more remarkable individual stories of the season.