Aleix Vidal delighted to make poetic comeback in Copa del Rey final
The right-back was injured vs. Alaves but came back against them in the final
He came on for the final 10 minutes, replacing Ivan Rakitic at the Calderon
Aleix Vidal was operated in Vitoria the same day he dislocated his ankle in Barcelona’s league win against Alaves in February.
Later Barça ruled him out for five months, effectively ending his season, but the player himself was always desperate to make the Copa del Rey final.
And against the odds, and two months early, the right-back came on as a substitute to see out Barça’s 3-1 win against Alaves on Saturday at the Vicente Calderon.
“It was a serious injury, but hard work each day has allowed me to enjoy some minutes today, facing the same team and referee I got injured against,” Vidal told TV3.
“The doctors estimated a recovery time of five months and I've been fortunate to have recovered in less time. I worked hard and tried to take care of myself every day.”
Vidal spent large parts of the first half the campaign out of Luis Enrique’s plans but was becoming a regular again when he was struck with the injury in February.
He added: “I went through difficult times during the season and just when the situation had changed and the manager gave me confidence I was unfortunate to suffer that injury.”
“When someone works hard, they believe only good things will happen. During the post-season I will continue working and I hope to convince the new manager that I am a valuable player. I have shown that situations can change.”
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