Dejan Kulusevski tells Swedish media how Kobe Bryant comments helped Tottenham comeback

Dejan Kulusevski has detailed how Kobe Bryant’s comments helped him finally make his comeback for Tottenham.

The Swedish midfielder returned to the pitch for Spurs for the first time in 526 days on Monday evening as a substitute in the 3-1 win over Coventry City.

The 26-year-old has been out with a knee injury since May 2025, missing 59 games for Tottenham as he required various surgeries and seemingly suffered numerous set backs on his road to recovery.

It has been the longest period out injured of his entire career. His previous longest spell was in 2022/23, lasting 38 days and 10 games. That should put this lay off into serious context.

The fact that four astronauts have been around the moon and Tottenham have had four different managers between his last two appearances perhaps makes it clearer.

He’s now back, though, and admits to Tuesday’s print edition of Sportbladet that some wise words from Kobe Bryant helped him through the period.

“It’s just great; it feels natural to be back. I knew this day would come, so it was just a matter of being patient,” the Tottenham midfielder admitted.

“Kobe Bryant always said that the storm will eventually pass. That’s what I was waiting for. I stayed ready, and when the opportunity arrived, I was prepared to play.”

A warm reception

He was particularly pleased with the reception he received from the Tottenham crowd. They were eagerly awaiting his return and showed as much on Monday evening.

“It really feels like I’m starting to feel at home at this club,” he added.

“They know who I am, and I know who they are. Together, we want to move forward, so it was absolutely fantastic to play in this stadium again.

“The support is everything, of course. Family is the most important thing there is.”

Lessons learned

The Sweden international was also keen to insist that everything is now feeling good. He managed just over 10 minutes against Coventry to kickstart his return.

That was only made possible by two surgeries and a long rehabilitation process that was beset by setbacks before he could even reach this point. It also required a lot of learning on his part.

“It’s been like going to school,” he concluded.

“It’s been absolutely amazing, and I’ll have more time to talk about everything in the future. But it’s been very special. I don’t think anyone has truly understood just how special it’s been.”

Dejan Kulusevski
Career achievements & injury comeback

526 days
Between competitive appearances

Injured against Crystal Palace on 11 May 2025.
Returned against Coventry City on 19 October 2026 —
a gap of 17 months and eight days.
Career achievements

The road back

*The 2020 Supercoppa Italiana was played on 20 January 2021.
Kulusevski was part of Tottenham’s Europa League-winning campaign
but missed the final through injury. The 526-day figure measures
the interval between competitive appearances.
Sources: Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus, Lega Serie A & Transfermarkt
· Updated 20 October 2026