"The whole group didn't let me fall"

FULL INTERVIEW

In an interview with the Club's media (see here), Tiago Gouveia reviewed the recovery period from the injury suffered on August 24, 2024, against CF Estrela, on matchday 3 of the Liga Betclic, until his return to the pitch, and left a heartfelt thanks to the team and the Benfiquista Family, whose support and affection proved fundamental throughout the process.

After seven months of hard work, during which his determination was put to the test on a daily basis, Tiago Gouveia began his trip down memory lane with the response of body and mind in the first test after the competitive break: the match against Académico de Viseu on March 31, 2025, for matchday 27 of Liga 2. A first 45 minutes in which he felt that his characteristics had strengthened.

"I think I can say that mentally I've arrived stronger, physically and technically I'm going to be much better, I'm going to be much better than I was before," said the eagles' No. 47, who played another 60 minutes for the B team against Alverca and 25 minutes for the first team in the 0-5 win over Tirsense in the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-finals.

Looking ahead to the final stretch of the season, Tiago Gouveia assured that he is “physically and psychologically fresh” to help a group that “never let him fall”, and shared a message of optimism for the challenges ahead.

"We can expect what we've done so far, to try to win every game, to not give up until the end of any game, regardless of whether it's going well or not so well. That's what we expect from the team. Expect a very motivated Tiago from me. A physically and psychologically fresh Tiago. And a happy, enthusiastic Tiago, with an enormous desire to help and be happy," he finished.

We'll take a look back at your return from injury: how did you feel? What was it like being in the dressing room, getting on the pitch, the referee's whistle...

First of all, thank you for this opportunity to talk about what these seven months have been like. It was a strange day, a different day, because after seven months a lot has changed. My routine during those seven months was completely different and, on this day, it was a return to the routine of a long time ago. The routine of waking up, that energy, that eagerness to get up and come here. Having breakfast at home on match day, concentration, lunch... Over time, as we got closer to the match, I became a little more tense, so to speak. The warm-up, before the game, with my heart beating a bit fast, wanting it to start... After the whistle, I think I came to terms with the fact that the time of suffering was over, the time of uncertainty was over, and it was a great feeling of happiness. It was only 45 minutes, but it was 45 minutes that felt like 10 games. It was a very good and positive feeling.

And the body? How did it feel?

[Laughs] My body felt good. I expected that too and I prepared for it. I prepared myself so that when I returned to the pitch, my body would react well, and that's what happened. It was a demanding game. Physically, I felt good. I wouldn't have left that game the same way if we hadn't won. Even if I went out there to get fit, to get minutes, if we hadn't won the game, I wouldn't have been happy. We managed to win the game, not concede a goal. Because I played right-back, defense, in other words, the responsibility increased defensively, so I was very happy. I played 45 minutes, physically I felt good, we won the game, we didn't concede, so I think it was a spectacular game.

We've already talked about the physical component, Tiago Gouveia has also spoken lightly about the mental part. When the game starts, is it total concentration? How does the mind work too?

Those first few minutes can be a bit scary, in the sense of contact. Physically, how I'm going to react, the first sprint... It's always that thing where you never know how it's going to be. But it went well, the very first shot of the game was a duel shot... In terms of the demands on the knee, it was good because I went into the duel, I wasn't afraid to go into the duel, I fell and supported myself on my arm, in other words, what was going to be put to the test in that game, in that first shot, was put to the test. It went well and gave me even more desire to continue, and that was that.

During these seven months, what were your biggest uncertainties? What have you been feeling throughout this recovery process? The biggest obstacles…

The biggest uncertainty of all was on a physical and technical level, how I was going to come back. It wasn't the uncertainty of: "Oh, is my knee going to be OK? Isn't it? Is my shoulder going to be OK? Won't it?" No! The biggest uncertainty was on a technical and physical level, how I was going to come back, because that fear of coming back, the rotations, what it's like to be on the pitch, the rotations, the sprints, there was always some uncertainty about that.It dissipated a little later as I got back into training, and now it's dissipating more and more because I'm training more, I'm being put to the test more often in training, and that's my biggest goal. It's to get back to the technical and physical levels I was at before the injury, and I really believe that's going to happen in the very, very near future.

In these seven months, who has helped you? Who has accompanied you? Because there's the other side, isn't there?

Outside the club, my girlfriend, who has been fantastic all this time, has really been one of my biggest supports. My mother, my father, my brothers... My brother, who is in Holland [the Netherlands], would often ask me how I was feeling, always playing a very active role. My brother who's here too, of course... My grandmother [laughs] was always sending messages, asking how I was. Even if she had to, in two hours on the same day, she'd text me to ask how I was... This outside the club... Inside the club, the whole team, the whole group didn't let me fall. The whole group didn't let me fall and I'm very grateful to them. They made it possible for me to smile every day, to see António [Silva] arriving in the morning and he'd start laughing at me and I'd start laughing at him... Samu [Samuel Soares] the same, Tomás [Araújo] the same, Barreiro, I don't know... André Gomes... It's been a tough seven months, but it's been seven months that have flown by, if you can put it that way. Just yesterday I was injured in the game against [CF] Estrela [24/08/2024 SL Benfica 1-0 CF Estrela] and when I played against [Académico de] Viseu [31/03/2025, SL Benfica B 1-0 Académico de Viseu] I was already back. In other words, it seems to have taken a long time, but it seems to have gone quickly because I had people around me who didn't let me get discouraged, have a negative attitude and negative energy around me.

I don't know if the word “give up” is too strong, but sometimes that negative thought comes up... Always a struggle, a battle, always in the medical department. It's also like coming to Benfica Campus, when you're in the car... How do you process all this on a mental level?

Giving up, giving up, never crossed my mind, never! But as I said at the beginning, it was those uncertainties, the uncertainties of how I was going to get back. That's what took over my head and my thoughts the most, OK? The hardest days for me were the team match days, and the easiest days for me were the training days, because I had the whole group. One of the things that grabbed me here and held me back was the fact that I also had this personality of being playful, and I could abstract myself a bit by doing that. That's why I think match days were the days when I was most discouraged, because I was practically alone in the morning. Then in the evening, being at night and watching the game, it's always hard. It's always hard to watch the game from outside. So I think those were my biggest challenges. During this time, instead of thinking “OK, there's still a day to go...”, instead of it being another day of injury, I was often able to think of one less day. This has also helped me a little, because over time I've been doing more things, both with my shoulder injury and my knee injury. In terms of physiotherapy, after a month, it was already one less month until my return. I was doing more things, more exercises, and that gave me energy, gave me extra oxygen, and that was very important for me. The fact that I was always able to do more in the gym, in physiotherapy, that's what I clung to, because if I clung to “one month, two months”... that was completely negative.

Sometimes, with these longer breaks, when they come back, the players say they've come back stronger. Do you think that's the case with you? Is that a possibility? Because of what you've been through in terms of growth.

On a psychological level? Yes, I've clearly come back stronger, there's no doubt about that! On a playing level, I can't say that yet, but I know, and I'm absolutely sure that I'll be able to say it, there's no doubt about it. So, yes. I think I can say that mentally I've come back stronger, physically and technically I'm going to be much better and I'm going to be much better than I was before.

Do you feel ready to help the team, for the National Championship, for the Portuguese Cup? How are you taking on that challenge too?

Yes, yes, absolutely! When you're in a club like this, you know that the competition is fierce. And the fact that the competition is so great makes the task, not more difficult, more challenging. That's how I feel, that's how I'm going to approach this time ahead. Not a difficult time, but a challenging time and one that, I have no doubt, will be very positive for me and for the team.

In terms of Tiago Gouveia's characteristics: there's often talk of his explosion, his intensity... Are these characteristics intac?

There's no doubt about it, they're quite intact and will be even more intact and more consolidated in the very near future.

Bruno Lage often uses the words “family”, ‘troop’, “team”, he talks about them a lot, and Tiago Gouveia has also spoken about the group. Do you also feel ready to enter into these words, into Bruno Lage's thinking?

During the whole time I was away, with the way I was, I think I tried my best to stay within the group. I've always been someone who, when things weren't going well, tried to pull people up.

What can we expect from Tiago Gouveia, from the Benfica team in this final stretch of the Championship, of the Portuguese Cup?

We can expect what we've done so far, to try to win every game, to not give up until the end of any game, regardless of whether it's going well or not so well. That's what we expect from the team. Expect a very motivated Tiago from me. A fresh Tiago, physically and psychologically. And a happy, enthusiastic Tiago, with an enormous desire to help and be happy.

What message would you like to leave directly to the Benfiquistas, who have certainly cherished you throughout these seven months?

First of all, thank you for your support. During these seven months, I received many messages, even on the street, very worried and always asking when I was going to come back, if I was better, etc. First of all, thank you for your support and affection. And then to appeal to the support you have given so far, but also to your sense of responsibility, because, above all, your work off the pitch is just as important, if not more important, than our work on it. So, I repeat, I appeal to your love, your heart, your support.