AFC Bournemouth striker Enes Ünal has opened up on his challenging journey back to the pitch after a 295-day injury layoff, praising the support of the club and his family following his recent return and crucial goal against West Ham.
Ünal made his long-awaited return as a late substitute against Nottingham Forest at Vitality Stadium last month, receiving an emotional welcome from the Cherries faithful. The striker then made an immediate impact, firing home the equalizer in the dramatic 2-2 draw against West Ham on Saturday.
Speaking to MATCHDAY, the 28-year-old reflected on his recovery from two ACL injuries and a broken toe.
“It feels great to be back with the team and feeling like a football player. I spent a long time not feeling like an athlete or a football player, so it’s a great feeling!” Ünal said.
Club Support and Family Strength
The Turkish international expressed profound gratitude for the club’s handling of his rehabilitation, emphasizing the lack of pressure placed upon him during his extended recovery period.
“It’s been a tough couple of years with two ACLs and one broken toe, but everyone has been amazing,” he explained. “They’ve given me the freedom and they’ve given me the calmness, there was never any rush. They’ve helped to make me feel healthy again without any pressure, which has been great. My teammates, too, they have been amazing. They are great people, great lads, I’ve really felt that and it made it easier for me.”
Ünal also credited his wife, Lisa, and his father for providing invaluable support, as both had previously overcome ACL injuries themselves.
“It’s really important and I’m really lucky that I have her,” he explained. “She’s had an ACL injury also and my father has had an ACL injury also, so I have these people in my family I can fall into already. They know that whenever this injury happens, dark times are coming. As a person, I like to be positive and I like to push always forward and I like to say I’m always good but, when I look back, it was not. I had many dark moments and dark times and Lisa was always there; I’m grateful for that.”
A major source of joy during his recovery was the arrival of his second child, Semih.
“It’s been great – he’s already with the ball!” Ünal shared, smiling. “It’s a different love, my first is a girl and you love your girl differently and your boy differently, I think. He’s small now but you can see he’s going to bring a lot of energy to our family, and a lot of trouble! We are lucky.”
Simple Objectives for the Future
Now fully reintegrated, Ünal is focused on contributing to a competitive Bournemouth squad.
“I’m super excited! I just want to help the lads because they’re doing amazing,” he said. “We have a big squad with big competition, even to be on the bench let alone the first 11, so it’s going to be really tough and a good challenge for me and for everybody. I hope we can keep going like that and I will try my best to help them in any given moment.”
When asked about his goals for the season, Ünal stressed that his objective is now focused purely on well-being and finding the joy in playing.
“After what I’ve been through for the last two years, it’s hard for me to set any goals,” he explained. “I’m at the stage of my career where it’s a day-by-day process for me, like what I had in my rehab. So, it’s going to be really simple, I just want to have fun, I want to be healthy and I want to come back in a better place than my last injury. I didn’t feel good after that injury, so that’s my only objective – I want to find the love of playing football again because I didn’t feel that for a time.”
