Cristiano Piccini played his first minutes of the season this past weekend against Villarreal CF. The Italian returned after six months out of action with a serious knee injury, and was happy to come back after a long recovery process in front of a full Mestalla.

The Italian sat down with VCF Media to talk about the road back, and his relief at putting his injury problems behind him.

Returning at Mestalla

Obviously I'm happy. In contrast to the other time, last season, when I came in for three games, I think that this time the feeling is different. I felt good, and ready to compete. I think that you saw this in the short time that I played. Obviously, the stadium was full as well, which wasn't the case last season.

The welcome that I got was very warm, and very emotional for me. It was the closing of a difficult chapter on a personal level.

Mental adversity

What happened to me is something that I wouldn't wish upon anybody. I think that there are many people who wouldn't have been able to get through an injury like this. Unfortunately, it happened to me. I think that when you find yourself in adverse situations, you have to react in some way. I was able to do that. I won't deny that I had days and weeks in which I was very low emotionally. I felt like saying "I can't take anymore, and I want to give up." I thought about it, but in the end hard work has its reward.

I was surprised that I was able to react to all of this. It was a very, very hard thing. It was an injury with several relapses that didn't stop, for two years. It seemed as if you'd take one step forward and two steps back, which makes things difficult. I was surprised by the consistency in my reaction, and my desire to come back. I can say now that I did it, and I'm very proud of myself now. I'm very happy.

The return of the fans

Football is about the fans. What we experienced in the last season-and-a-half, wasn't football.

Many players have come into the first team in these circumstances, and that's not the way things really are. Pressure is good. You have to be able to handle it, but pressure is good. When things go well, at Valencia CF the fans pick you up. That's really important for the fans.

We're all in the same boat. We all want the best for Valencia CF. We all want to win, and we all want to be as high up the table as possible. It's fundamental that we stick together, because we are better together and compete better.

Aspirations for the season

I'm excited. I've been very excited since preseason. I prepared very well for preseason and came in for training two weeks early. I had an isquiotibial injury one week in, but I feel good now and I'm excited, because I believe that I still have a lot to give -and I want to give it.

I missed everything. I missed training and games. It's something that, if you think about it, makes me immensely happy to be back. I just want to enjoy myself, focus on training and help the team.