His last appearance was on February 24. Seriously injured in his left knee (ruptured cruciate ligaments) during a championship match against Elche last winter, Nabil Fekir made his return to the Spanish field on Saturday evening. While his team, Real Betis, was heading towards a comfortable 2-0 victory against Mallorca on the 12th day of La Liga, Manuel Pellegrini, coach of the Sevillian club, decided to throw his playmaker back into the deep end.
Eight months after his injury, the former Lyon player received a vibrant ovation from the Benito Villamarin stadium and Betis supporters as he left to warm up. Once again warmly applauded when he came on in place of Isco, in the 87th minute, Fekir even inherited the captain’s armband, left by the Spaniard. A great way to mark his return for the 2018 world champion.
Betis finally won 2-0 thanks to goals from Willian José and Ayoze Perez. Currently fifth in La Liga, the Andalusian team will challenge Aris Limassol in the Europa League next Thursday (9 p.m.) before meeting Sevilla FC for the derby, Sunday November 12 at 6:30 p.m.
