Overcame knee injury
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He was only on the pitch for a few minutes, but even stole the show from the two goal scorers. In the 3-0 (2-0) win over SC Freiburg, Dortmund returnee Mateu Morey was celebrated with an ovation. The 23-year-old Spaniard’s comeback after a long period of suffering touched everyone involved. During the final dance of the entire team in front of the mighty south stand, his teammates ordered the right-back, who had only been substituted in the 88th minute, into the front row alone.
“Mateu is our unsung hero. Unfortunately, he was injured during the corona pandemic and has now been working on his comeback for almost three years. It was an extremely long way from the hospital back to the pitch,” commented coach Edin Terzic, visibly moved, “I am incredibly proud to have such character in my team.”
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Morey played in a competitive game for the first time after his serious knee injury at the beginning of May 2021 in the cup semi-final against Holstein Kiel (5-0). The fact that he was there for the first time at a Borussia home game with spectators after more than four years at BVB rounded off what was a magical evening for him. When most of the players were already in the shower, Morey was still on the court taking selfies. “That was great,” said Füllkrug enthusiastically, “I’m just really happy for him. That in front of the south stand was something special for him. I hope there will be a few more appearances.” Morey moved from FC Barcelona’s youth team to Dortmund on a free transfer in 2019 and has so far played 29 games for the professionals and 14 more for the reserves at BVB. His contract ends after this season.
Sports director Sebastian Kehl was similarly euphoric: “He has been through many personal crises. It was nice to see him sitting in the dressing room with a big smile again.” It wasn’t just Mateu’s return that lifted the former BVB professional’s spirits: the confident victory over seventh-placed Freiburg after goals from Malen (16./ Kehl rated 45th + 7) and Füllkrug (87th) as “the best performances in months. That was fun today. Today people go home happy.”
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