News Focus
- Aurora Galli ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament in September 2024 during Everton’s opening Women’s Super League match against Brighton
- The Italy international claims she had a premonition about the injury in a dream the night before the incident occurred
- The 29-year-old endured significant mental health struggles while accepting she could not play the sport she describes as her life
- She rushed her initial comeback to target Euro 2025, but cartilage complications forced a second period on the sidelines until January
- Galli now hopes to secure a place in Italy’s squad for the upcoming World Cup after regaining match fitness
The night before disaster struck, Aurora Galli saw the future. The Everton midfielder dreamed about damaging her ACL. Hours later, the nightmare became reality on the pitch.
The injury occurred in September 2024. It was the first game of the Women’s Super League season. Everton were losing 4-0 to Brighton. Galli tried to challenge for the ball. Her standing leg buckled beneath her. She fell to the turf in agony.
“I could not sleep well,” she recalls about the evening before the match. “My sister also felt something bad would happen.” The memory remains clear. “I felt like my leg had broken completely. I remember screaming. The doctor asked if I wanted oxygen. I refused. I am very stubborn. I wanted to walk off the pitch alone.”
The diagnosis confirmed a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. This began a difficult 20-month journey. Galli found the mental battle harder than the physical pain. Football was her entire life. Without it, she felt lost.
“I am not someone who cries,” she admits. “But I cried so much when nobody could see me. Football is why I wake up each morning. I could not release my frustration. My body and head were not working together. It was really hard.”
The midfielder worried constantly during rehabilitation. Every step on the training pitch brought fear. She watched other players fall and felt immediate panic. These thoughts never fully disappear, she explains.
Galli pushed hard to recover for Euro 2025. Italy had qualified for the tournament. She met frequently with doctors and physiotherapists. She wanted to return within six months. She managed seven and a half months.
She played four minutes against Tottenham on the final day of the 2024-25 season. This brief appearance put her back in the national team conversation. However, Andrea Soncin did not select her for the final squad. Galli still travelled with the team to the tournament. Italy reached the semi-finals for the first time.
“I was not in the team, but I was part of it,” she says. “I am very proud of them. It was nice to see my friends and enjoy football again.”
The quick return caused problems. During pre-season training, her knee cartilage swelled badly. She could not complete sessions. Medical staff forced her to stop.
“I had pushed too much,” she says with a smile. “The staff had to stop me. I learned I must listen to my body. It gave me more awareness.”
She finally returned in January. Everton’s form improved immediately. The club had dismissed manager Brian Sørensen in February. Under interim boss Scott Phelan, they finished eighth. Galli started five matches.
The Italian joined Everton at age 24. She became the first Italian to play in the Women’s Super League. She describes the club as her family. She leads through hard work and positive energy.
“I know how to help people become the best version of themselves,” she states. “I focus on what I am doing because I love it. If people around me love it too, we work together.”
Galli now looks ahead to the World Cup. She plans a summer holiday with her partner, Chelsea defender Nathalie Björn. She knows her body has changed permanently.
“I still do not feel like my old self,” she admits. “An ACL injury changes your body and your thinking. It is about growing and accepting the change.”