Rúben Semedo celebrated his 26th birthday this weekend, marking a year of undoubted progress on and off the field for the Portuguese defender. Semedo is currently on a high point in his career, having endured a turbulent time in his personal life which threatened his freedom and his football aspirations.
Speaking to Canal 11, Semedo admitted that a spell in jail early in 2018 was the most difficult period he has experienced, but now understands he has the chance to rebuild his life.
Semedo spent five months in Spanish custody after being arrested while playing for Villarreal in February 2018 on charges of kidnap and attempted murder, before his bail was posted that summer. Stints with Recreativo Huelva and Rio Ave led to a move to Olympiacos ahead of this season where Semedo’s career has thrived, but it is the off-field recovery which is most important for the former Sporting man.
“I can say it’s the worst thing I’ve been through to this day,” Semedo said. “It's a cold relationship, through a glass, you can't touch them, you can't have that feeling. Every time a close person left, even more so my daughter, it was the worst.
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“Many tears”
“My daughter came to visit me. I think she understood what was happening, but in way of protecting me suggested she didn’t understand. She was used to her father traveling to play football. It was how I put it, that I was abroad playing and would come back.
Semedo concedes that “there were many tears” while he was being detained, but that he was “determined because my career was on the verge of being ended” by the ordeal. He was released in June 2018 and says being reunited with his family was a special moment.
“I was playing checkers, they called me so I could speak to my lawyer and he said to me 'Semedo, between today and tomorrow you will leave'. In those two days I don't think I slept for an hour. I’d sleep for 10 or 20 minutes and wake up.
“The feeling of seeing your family again, your children, the people you love. The feeling of hugging my mother after months was unexplainable.
“I told myself 'Semedo, wake up. You have one more opportunity'. Press the reset button and start all over again.”
By Sean Gillen
