Elise Hughes, a 24-year-old striker for Crystal Palace, recovered from ACL surgery in nine months, motivated by the goal of participating in Euro 2025. Other teammates like Sophie Ingle have also returned from similar injuries, while several players have been ruled out. FIFA is funding research on hormonal fluctuations and ACL injuries, as female footballers face higher risks than males. Hughes, a top goalscorer, is eager to impact Wales’ first major tournament. She highlighted the challenges of recovery and the desire to reach her previous performance levels.
"Obviously the injury at the time was really bad. It came in a season for me that I thought I did really well in."
"I returned in February already knowing that the girls had qualified for us, and so then it was just an added motivation to be back and to be better and to be ready for the stage this summer."
"The road to recovery from an ACL injury is tougher than people realise, but I found the hardest thing was not being able to immediately return to play at the same standard."
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