Vicario: “It was a different chapter, I learned a lot”

By Guglielmo Vicario’s own admission, it was one of the best and worst days of his life.

Under the lights at the Etihad on 23 November, we were locked in battle with Manchester City, a match that would end in a famous 4-0 win and go down as one of our most impressive victories in the Premier League era.

All the headlines from that memorable night came at the top end of the pitch, with a first-half double from James Maddison and further strikes from Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson blowing away the reigning champions in their own back yard.

However, at the other end, ‘Vic’ had been enduring an agony that would soon alter his season. An awkward landing after claiming the ball away from the onrushing Savinho just before half-time left the 28-year-old feeling a problem with his right ankle.

Holding a 2-0 lead at the break and knowing the job was far from complete, our goalkeeper - with a sheer determination to give everything for the team - battled through the pain barrier to produce heroics between the sticks to preserve a clean sheet and help secure the three points.

As it later transpired, he had played 60 minutes with a fracture to his ankle. It was both a team and brave individual goalkeeping performance that will be spoken about for years to come.

Vic spoke to us exclusively for our recent Official Matchday Programme against AZ Alkmaar’. “When I stood up from the ground, I had this feeling in my ankle that was not stable,” he recalled, his voice tinged with the memory of that fateful moment. “The pain was very high. At half-time, I needed some help, so I went straight to get treatment, and we strapped all the ankle but when I put the ankle on the ground again it was very painful.

“When you’re winning 2-0 at the Etihad, the game is not over, I had no time to think about the pain. But when the game finished, I went into the dressing room again and it was very, very bad – I had a feeling I wouldn’t be back on the pitch for a while.”

It wasn’t until the next morning that the full extent of the injury revealed itself. What had initially seemed innocuous turned out to be far worse, with scans revealing he required immediate surgery.

Ever-present through a stunning debut campaign in the English top flight, our number one – who switched from number 13 ahead of this season – picked up where he left off throughout our first 12 league games in 2024/25 until he was dealt the cards of a significant injury lay-off for the first time in his career.

“To be fair, it was a big surprise,” he added. “I never thought about a fracture, I thought it was a twist, but when I had a scan, looked into the images and spoke to the medical staff who told me it would be a long injury. The first stage you have to realise what has happened and then come back down to concentrate because it is a long journey. It’s been a big setback, but with every setback you have to handle it and deal with it.

“It was another challenge of life, of course also in my football career, but more about life. I was not used to this kind of thing, from a settled routine - with training, gym, recovery and playing games when you’re happy - to then when I couldn’t walk and do normal things. It was very challenging.”

Prior to this latest setback, a chest injury had kept him out of seven matches for former club Empoli at the end of the 2022/23 campaign. Other than that, it has been a career unblemished by injury that has seen Vic rise through all four tiers of Italian football to establish himself at Spurs and in Italy’s national team.

Faced with his first major injury and three months out of action, the Italian stopper - who has racked up all four of his international caps since joining us - initially turned to his football idol for inspiration as he embarked on the long road to recovery ahead.

Passionate about this club and a key figure within the dressing room - becoming the latest addition to our leadership group that comprises Club captain Heung-Min Son and vice-captains James Maddison and Cristian Romero - he worked tirelessly to get back, finding solace and strength in the support system around him at Hotspur Way.

“It’s been very tough,” he disclosed. “It was my first big injury in my career. At the beginning you don’t know how to deal with it, the emotions, if you’re feeling down, you’re not used to it. I wasn’t used to being injured so it was a big one.

“I read the biography of Gianluigi Buffon. He speaks about his life, his career and how he overcame his issues. So, for this period of my life, it was the perfect place to start with my idol. He was my first inspiration.  I can say everyone at the football club has been very, very close to me - from the coaches, to the cooks, cleaners, all my team-mates inside the dressing room and the medical staff - a big thanks to them.

“The medical staff did an unbelievable job to help me and I’m really happy to be back. In the 11 weeks I put in a lot of hard work, a special thanks to everyone here at the Club who stayed close and made my life much easier.”

Despite enduring a frustrating time out when having to sit by and watch on as an injury-hit squad went 21 games without his services, Vic’s enforced absence offered a fresh perspective, and he instead found a different way to remain a vital presence within the group during his spell on the sidelines.

Credit to his professionalism and commitment, it was little surprise to see him return ahead of schedule to face Manchester United - marking his return with an impressive performance and clean sheet to help secure a 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 16 February.

“It was a long journey,” he admitted. “A long process to believe in and get through, but it’s been an exciting part of my life and a different chapter.

“I learned a lot of things. When you see things from the other side, from another perspective, and you cannot help your team-mates who have been playing every three days for two-and-a-half months to deal with tough moments, was really hard for me. I tried to stay close to them, to have a few chats and words with them to help. The period was tough, we had a few losses, but we are a big family and we need to keep going until the end.”