Vivianne Miedema has returned to action following an 11-month absence due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and in a statement, she detailed her emotionally taxing recovery journey, heralding her comeback as a turning point for both herself and the team.

Vivianne Miedema has described her 11-month injury hiatus as an “emotional rollercoaster.”

At the end of 2022, Miedema, 27, required surgery after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a Champions League match against Lyon.

She finally returned to action on Sunday, coming off the bench in injury time in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Bristol City in the Women’s Super League (WSL).

“I’m a proper footballer again. The last 310 days have been an emotional and physical rollercoaster,” Miedema said on social media following the match.

Since joining Arsenal from Bayern Munich in 2017, Miedema has been a critical part of the team, scoring 78 goals in 84 WSL appearances.

Her return comes as a boost to a squad that has had a mixed start to the season. Arsenal picked up just one point from their first two WSL matches but have secured victories in their last two games.

They currently sit seventh in the league standings.

Miedema, who helped Arsenal lift the WSL title in the 2017-2018 season and won the Uefa Women’s European Championship with the Netherlands in 2017, spoke candidly about the challenges of her long recovery process.

“You never really understand what rehab/coming back means until you go through it,” she explained.

“From the initial sadness and anger when getting injured, to the anxiety and being scared for surgery and your rehab. For me, it was difficult to trust my body and feel confident again.”

She further detailed the emotional toll of her recovery, stating: “But after multiple setbacks and comebacks, I finally started to feel excited and confident and I can enjoy being back out there again.”

Reflecting on the lessons learned during her rehabilitation, Miedema said, “Sometimes we do things on autopilot, everything becomes normal and we won’t appreciate the moments we should. The one thing I learned in this rehab is that I do need to enjoy milestones, special moments and even little steps a lot more.”

The return of both Miedema and Mead adds depth and attacking prowess to an Arsenal squad that has been beset by injuries and inconsistent performances.

With a packed WSL schedule and European commitments, their timely return could be crucial in helping the club climb the table and compete on multiple fronts.

Vivianne Miedema’s statement in full

“I’m a proper footballer again.

“The last 310 days have been an emotional and physical rollercoaster.

“You never really understand what rehab/coming back means until you go through it. From the initial sadness and anger when getting injured, to the anxiety and being scared for surgery and your rehab. For me it was difficult to trust my body and feel confident again.

“But after multiple set backs and comebacks, I finally started to feel excited and confident and I can enjoy being back out there again.

“Sometimes we do things on auto pilot, everything becomes normal and we don’t appreciate the moments we should. The one thing I learned in this rehab is that I do need to enjoy milestones, special moments and even little steps a lot more.

“To the girls who’ve spent a lot of time in the gym with me, thank you for keeping me motivated and pushing me along the way. I can’t wait to see every single one of you back on the pitch.

“For the other teammates, thank you for always checking in with me and being there if I/we needed you. I’m glad I’m back out there with you.

“It’s like I’ve never been away …”