Fabián Ruiz says he would arrive home after a day of treatment «frustrated» and in pain — sometimes even when climbing stairs — a memory he still leans on as proof of how brutal the recovery felt. The PSG midfielder described uncertainty at the start of the injury, no fixed date for a comeback, and the small victories that finally let him see the light at the end of a long tunnel.
He spoke as he prepares for what will be his first World Cup in 2026, a milestone that gives fresh urgency to the story of his injury and return. Ruiz made the comments in a wide-ranging interview that mixed details about his physical setbacks with candid admissions about the strain those months put on the people who live with him.
The clearest detail — and the one he returned to most — was the daily support from two coaches. Ruiz said both Luis Enrique and Luis de la Fuente phoned him every day while he was sidelined, sending confidence when there was no timetable and the progress was measured in small steps. That steady contact, he said, mattered as much as any medical report.
Ruiz recounted the early confusion around the problem: what looked like a simple knock turned into something more significant, and the unknown length of absence was the worst part. At home, he admitted, his irritability and recurring pain tested those closest to him — his wife, a cousin and his partner’s girlfriend, he said — but they were also the ones who kept him going.
The personal side of the recovery gives weight to a fact that has been easy to reduce to headlines: top players get hurt and come back. Ruiz spelled out what that looked like in daily life — sleepless nights, frustration after sessions, and a time when even stairs hurt — and how emotional support from teammates and staff helped him regain momentum.
There were lighter notes. Ruiz praised teenager Lamine Yamal, saying the youngster called him one of the most underrated players and that Yamal carries an unusual maturity for an 18‑year‑old under intense media scrutiny. Ruiz described their relationship positively and used the example of Yamal to explain how quickly young careers can accelerate and how much pressure that brings.
The interview also carried a softer long-term confession that introduces a genuine tension: Ruiz said he is happy in Paris, that his family has adapted very well there and that he has enjoyed several strong years with PSG, but he also repeated a long-standing wish to finish his playing days at Real Betis. ‘‘I’ve always said I’d like to retire at Betis — it’s my home, my team,’’ he said, calling a return one day ‘‘the most beautiful thing.’’ The two statements sit uneasily together: settled life in Paris today, a hometown ending sometime in the future.
That friction is central to the story the interview tells. Ruiz has rebuilt form and status since being left out of Luis Enrique’s Spain list in 2022 and has since become a regular for both PSG and for Luis de la Fuente’s Spain. But he offered no timetable for a return to Betis, and the gap between a present peak and a sentimental future remains open.
Ruiz now moves toward the 2026 World Cup as a fitter, more confident player who remembers the months when every step hurt. He has said he owes much of his recovery to the phone calls and the patience shown by coaches and family. What he has not said is when — if ever — the homecoming to Real Betis will happen. That unanswered fact is the story’s final note: a clear desire for a Betis farewell, framed against a career that has only just regained full stride and a first World Cup still pending in 2026.
