Wales defender Connor Roberts returned to action in 2026 after a year out with injury, calling the experience emotionally draining.
Wales and Burnley right-back Connor Roberts completed a difficult stretch on the sidelines with an Achilles injury that sidelined him for the entire 2025-26 season. He finally stepped back onto the pitch as a substitute in Wales’ 2-1 defeat to Romania in Bucharest, marking 362 days since his last appearance for club or country, which came against Belgium in June 2025. During his absence, Burnley suffered relegation from the Premier League while Wales missed out on World Cup qualification. At age 30 and with two major tournaments under his belt, Roberts admitted the prolonged absence took a heavy toll.
Roberts described the injury and its aftermath as emotionally draining, noting it was his first major long-term setback after managing to avoid one until then. He shared how difficult it was to watch his club struggle and his national team fall short of qualification goals. Roberts reflected that the ordeal would make him value his career achievements, past milestones, future goals, and upcoming experiences even more once he returned to action. His comments came after he made his comeback off the bench.
Upon returning for Wales, Roberts expressed his relief and joy at being back on the pitch for his country. He acknowledged mixed reactions from fans but stressed his own happiness at resuming his role. Roberts hoped to stay fit through the summer and continue competing for both club and country in the upcoming season. His first match back came in a losing effort against Romania, where he entered play in the 60th minute.
Wales fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat against Romania in Bucharest, with substitute David Brooks equalizing just three minutes after coming on to cancel Florinel Coman’s early goal at Stadionul Steaua. However, Adrian Rus scored in the 80th minute to secure the win for Romania, marking their first victory since Gheorghe Hagi took charge in April. The result extended Wales’ winless streak in 2026 to four games and their away friendly drought to 17 matches, dating back to November 2008.