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As glorious as it is, football can sometimes be a very gruesome game. When one takes up the sport, they agree to the injury risks that come with it. But they never hope for it to happen. No matter how much potential one might have, an injury scare at early stages can easily derail their whole career.
While we have witnessed a lot of players reach their best, there are many who have failed to do so.
Injuries are an integral part of this game and generally, every player has been sidelined at some point. While many recover quickly, others get snapped off their potential because of the severity of their knocks.
We will be looking at five of the best active footballers who failed to reach their potential due to injuries:
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#5 Victor Vazquez
Believe it or not, Victor Vazquez was once a challenger to Messi's throne. At one point, he was even considered better than the Argentine. However, luck did not favor him. Part of the iconic La Masia, Vazquez quickly made an impression for the youth teams at Barcelona.
Debuting for the C-team, the Spaniard played most of his football at Barcelona for the club's B-team. In February 2009, he suffered a serious knee injury which ruled him out for the remainder of the season. This was a major drawback for a player who was strikingly quick on his feet.
His spell in Spain ended in 2011 with only three first-team appearances for Barcelona. Vazquez joined Club Brugge and spent five seasons with them. With an extensive career following it, the 34-year-old midfielder joined LA Galaxy in 2021 and has appeared 23 times so far.
#4 Daniel Sturridge
The player who was meant to be one of Europe's most fearsome strikers had his career ravaged by injuries. Daniel Sturridge is an academy product of Manchester City and has also played for Chelsea and Liverpool. Notably, he enjoyed the best success at Anfield.
Sturridge joined Liverpool in 2012 and formed a deadly partnership alongside Luis Suarez. In his second season, Sturridge gave Suarez tough competition and they both ended up scoring half of what Liverpool scored that season. Unfortunately, the English forward's collapse began the next season.
He missed the majority of the season because of injuries and managed only 18 appearances. The following season, although his goalscoring form was brilliant, injuries got the better of him again.
This poor record caused him to lose his spot in the squad and he left the club in 2019. He later joined the Turkish side, Trabzonspor and is currently a part of Perth Glory in the A-League.
#3 Mario Gotze
Mario Gotze will always be remembered as the player who won Germany the 2014 World Cup. But one will always wonder what his career would have been if it hadn't been for injuries.
Gotze is a Borussia Dortmund academy graduate who made his senior debut in 2009. He formed a formidable partnership with Marco Reus before leaving for Bayern Munich in 2013.
After a satisfactory spell with the German giants, he returned to Dortmund in 2016. Halfway into the season, he was dropped from the squad due to an unknown illness. It was later identified as myopathy, a disease where muscle fibers function improperly. The metabolic disease was the reason for his fatigue and weight gain.
Unfortunately, his only option to recover was through medication, exercise and rest. The 2011 Golden Boy winner could never perform like he used to and his outings were limited since then. He closed his chapter with Dortmund in 2020 and joined PSV Eindhoven.
#2 Jack Wilshere
A promising youngster in the making, Jack Wilshere made his Arsenal debut in 2008. At the age of 16 years and 256 days, Wilshere became the youngest ever debutant for the Gunners.
He played his first full season with them in 2010-11 making a whooping 49 appearances, and also received his maiden call-up to the England national team.
Just when everything started getting set in his career, an injury changed things forever. In 2011, Wilshere suffered a stress fracture ankle injury during a pre-season friendly and was ruled out for the rest of the season. He marked his return 527 days later and got back into the team soon enough.
Although he delivered successful back-to-back seasons, another major injury dealt a huge blow. He returned after 10 months and made a few appearances before being loaned out the following season. Following this return, Wilshere was never the same and left Arsenal in 2018 with only 197 appearances.
He joined West Ham United a month later, but his injuries followed him and ruined his chances there as he managed only 19 appearances in three years. The 29-year-old midfielder is now a free agent after having a short spell with AFC Bournemouth in the 2020-21 season.
#1 Alexandre Pato
Dubbed the 'wonder kid' once, Alexandre Pato had all the potential to reach the levels of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. His breakthrough came when he joined AC Milan in 2007. Still a youngster then, his potential made him a popular name in no time.
In 2011, AC Milan faced Barcelona in a Champions League fixture and against a side filled with talent, Pato managed to steal the spotlight. That night he also scored the fifth fastest Champions League goal just 24 seconds into the match.
Then began his setbacks as injuries started to get the better of him. With many frequent injuries hampering his performances, Milan sold him to Corinthians in 2013.
He has never been the same since his return to Brazil. The 32-year-old forward tried to get back to the big stage once again but his spells at Chelsea and Villarreal were ineffective. Pato joined MLS side Orlando City in 2021 and currently plays for them.
