In our win over Crystal Palace last night (October 27), Rodrigo Bentancur made his first appearance on the field in almost eight months and left a poignant message for our supporters.
The midfield player’s selection in the matchday squad was a great boost before to kickoff, after he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in his left knee at Leicester City on February 11. He made his comeback in the latter stages as we achieved a 2-1 victory at Selhurst Park.
Ange Postecoglou gave ‘Lolo’ a heartfelt pep talk before he replaced Dejan Kulusevski, who had just hugged his former Juventus teammate. On the ninetieth minute, with the score at 2-0, ‘Lolo’—a vital player since his move from Juventus—came on to thunderous applause from our travelling supporters in south London.
Though there was a late scare when Jordan Ayew scored midway through the eight minutes of second-half stoppage time, Joel Ward’s own goal and Heung-Min Son’s eighth goal of the season proved to be enough to earn us the three points. Rodrigo had a memorable night and nearly marked his comeback with a goal barely a minute later.
Given the Uruguay international’s prominence and popularity at the Club, which were evident in the post-match scenes when he was hounded by teammates and received praise from our devoted fans, his involvement was a significant story in a night full of headlines as we extended our unbeaten start under Ange to 10 matches and moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League.
The 26-year-old has missed 28 games due to injury, so it has been a long road to recovery. However, the love and support he received during his recuperation has enabled him to return stronger. He posted on Instagram, saying, “I’m back and I couldn’t be happier thanks to the support of my amazing family, my friends, the club, and the fans.”
“Today is simply about enjoying football, giving it my all, and supporting my teammates who have supported me throughout the season and have been amazing so far. Yesterday was a memorable day for me.
“Thank you all ❤️”
“I appreciate your help today after my extended absence. I’m overjoyed to be back after all of this.”
We’re headed in the right direction, and I intend to fully commit. I want to thank everyone and give them a big hug.”
