Samu Aghehowa breaks silence on Atlético Madrid exit: "Things happened that I don't want to talk about"

Samu Aghehowa is smiling on a football pitch again. After months sidelined by a serious injury, the striker made his comeback for Porto and received a thunderous ovation from the Do Dragao crowd. Now focused purely on football once more, the Melilla-born forward has spoken to Radio Marca about his recovery and addressed his controversial departure from Atlético Madrid, a chapter he is unwilling to fully reveal.

• Samu Aghehowa returned to action with Porto after a lengthy injury layoff and was greeted by a huge ovation at Do Dragao.
• The forward insists he is very grateful to Atlético Madrid, though he admits his exit involved episodes he would rather not share.
• He makes clear he holds no grudge against Diego Simeone and describes the situation as a clash of interests now behind him.
• He confesses that his first thought after learning the severity of his injury was missing the World Cup.
• He admits he cried at the end of his comeback match, describing it as a release after a very difficult period.

Samu Aghehowa's Porto comeback after a long ordeal

The sight of Samu Aghehowa stepping back onto the Do Dragao pitch will go down as one of the most emotional moments of his career. The striker had spent months on the sidelines battling a serious injury that halted what was turning into a fine season with the Portuguese side. The Porto supporters, fully aware of the effort behind his return, greeted him with a loud ovation that the player himself describes as a turning point in his recovery.

Aghehowa does not hide how hard the process has been. He talks about days when he did not feel like getting out of bed and about a constant rollercoaster of emotions: small steps forward followed by days that seemed to send him back to square one. That emotional back and forth ended in tears during his first match back, a reaction he defines as a release.

The last time I cried was when the match ended, the one in which I played again. In the end it was like a release because everything is already behind me.

The fear of missing the World Cup: the first blow of Samu's injury

When the diagnosis confirmed how serious his injury was, Samu Aghehowa's immediate thought was not about the recovery itself but about the possibility of missing out on a tournament that every footballer dreams of playing. The forward openly admits that the first thing that came to mind was the World Cup, a competition Spain have already qualified for and which will be held in 2026 across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

His emergence in European football and his goals for Porto had put him on the radar of the senior national team. Being forced off the pitch at a crucial stage of the season was a major setback to that ambition. That is why his return to action not only lifts his spirits at club level, but also allows him to reignite a season in which he wants to keep building his case for the global showpiece.

What really happened between Samu Aghehowa and Atlético Madrid

Samu Aghehowa's departure from Atlético Madrid was one of the most talked-about moves of the past summer. The young forward, developed in the club's academy, headed to Porto before the transfer window closed, leaving the impression that the decision was made faster than expected. Months later, the player reflects on that episode with a mixture of gratitude and silence.

Aghehowa insists he will always be grateful to the Madrid club, which he credits for a large part of the player he is today. His exit, however, was far from smooth. The forward describes that period as a movie he lived through intensely and admits that things happened which he does not want to share, a time he says he genuinely struggled through. Those words hint at uncomfortable episodes without going into detail.

This story was like a movie. I lived it very intensely, because in the end they signed me... Many things happened that I don't want to talk about because it was a period I went through very badly.

Simeone and Samu Aghehowa: a relationship without resentment

One name that inevitably comes up when discussing Samu Aghehowa's time at Atlético Madrid is Diego Simeone. The Argentine coach, who manages the squad with a firm hand, was pointed to by the media at the time as one of the reasons the young forward never fully settled into the first team.

The player himself downplays the issue and says he has nothing against the coach. In his view, it all came down to a clash of interests born from the circumstances of that moment, something already left behind. Aghehowa describes himself as someone who holds no grudges and prefers to focus on his present in Portugal, away from controversies he considers part of the past.

From ovation to ambition: Samu Aghehowa's present at Porto

With the injury behind him and the affection of Do Dragao in his backpack, Samu Aghehowa faces the final stretch of the season eager to recover his best form. Before his injury he had already shown he has the goals and flair to make a difference in the Portuguese league, and Porto are counting on him to be a key piece in their pursuit of silverware.

Every match is now a chance to leave behind months of uncertainty. Aghehowa approaches the present with the maturity of someone who has come through a difficult period stronger than before, focused only on football and with the Spanish national team as extra motivation on the horizon.