7 footballers who returned from career threatening injuries

#7 Patrick Battiston – broken bones, teeth and coma

Patrick Battiston was knocked out cold by the horrendous tackle

Harald Schumacher’s challenge on Patrick Battiston is one of the worst fouls in the history of the game and it’s still difficult to understand why the German goalkeeper was left unpunished that day. The incident happened in the 1982 world cup semi-final between Germany and France in Seville.

Battiston was through on goal courtesy of a Michel Platini through ball and Schumacher came charging down resulting in a collision with the Frenchman. This reckless challenge resulted in Battiston suffering from a damaged vertebra, a broken jaw and the loss of four of his front teeth and Schumacher’s professionalism was subject to a lot of questions after it was obvious that he had little sympathy for the Frenchman.

This was a major turning point in the game which France lost in penalties having led the game earlier. Battiston returned to play for his club Saint-Etienne 5 months later and he played for Bordeaux and Monaco before retiring. After retirement, he joined Bordeaux’s academy and held various positions.