Fermín López has broken his silence from Barcelona's pre-season stage after a fifth metatarsal fracture in his right foot cost him a place at the World Cup during the best spell of his career.
The injury struck in the second-to-last game of the league season, against Real Betis at the Camp Nou, by which point Barça had already been confirmed as champions.
Speaking to Catalunya Radio's À Tot Costa programme, the attacker did not hide how hard the months since have been.
"It's been the worst summer of my life," he said. "I was at the best moment of my career, everything was going well, and then the injury came.
"You learn from situations like this too, but it's true I've had a very hard summer. I've pulled through thanks to my family, my partner and my friends. I've needed help. I already had support before, but my coach has helped me a lot to get through it."
The midfielder was a regular in Luis de la Fuente's squad before the fracture ended his hopes of playing his first World Cup, a blow he admits he initially couldn't process.
"I didn't watch Spain's first matches at the World Cup. I couldn't. I wanted to be there at the World Cup," he said, though he was quick to add that he was thrilled for his teammates once the tournament reached its closing stages.
"Let it be clear that seeing my teammates win the World Cup made me very happy. In the closing stages of the tournament I felt better about it and decided to go watch the final live in New York."
On his recovery, the 2024 Paris Olympic gold medallist struck an optimistic tone, suggesting he could feature in some capacity at this year's Joan Gamper Trophy.
"I feel better every day. I don't have any discomfort, which is important. If everything goes well, I could play some minutes already at the Gamper. The idea is to come back from this injury with more motivation. I think I'm very prepared. I've already shown how I can help Barça and I have to keep doing the same next season."
Looking ahead to the new campaign, López set his sights on the Champions League after two near-misses in as many years.
"The Champions League dream is shared by the whole squad. We've come close the last two years. This season could be a good one. We've been playing together for three years and we've been through a lot. I feel we're ready to win the Champions League. Winning a third consecutive league title is difficult. It will be a tough year. But if we stay focused on our game and stay united, we can win the third league title."