10 most unfortunate injuries to high-profile footballers

#10 Ronaldo - Knee injury

Blessed with superb control and pace, a striking eye for goal, an ability to set plays up as he pleased, Ronaldo O Fenômeno remains one of the footballing greats. And it was in Italy, with Inter Milan, where many felt he sharpened these goalscoring traits and morphed into the world class player he was.

After numerous accolades, including FIFA’s World Player of the Year in 1997, and the Ballon d’Or later that same year, Ronaldo was becoming unstoppable for Inter, as his astounding quality quickly rendered him club captain and first-choice penalty taker.

It was not to last for the then-world-record-signing though who, before recapturing his form with Real Madrid after the turn of the century, would be ruled out for the long-term after a knock in a Serie A clash with Lecce in November 1999.

Untouched by an opposing player, Ronaldo felt a niggle in his knee, where it was later revealed he has ruptured a tendon. Forced off with a limp at the time, Ronaldo would not appear again until the following April. After previously having had surgery, he was still clearly not ready to return as he limped off after a mere seven minutes of time.

Absent from the world footballing stage for the entirety of the 2001/02 season as well as parts of the seasons either side of it, Ronaldo’s injury highlighted how even the greatest can’t avoid the burdens the human body occasionally poses. Despite returning in fine form to guide Brazil to the 2002 World Cup, the injury ate into a significant part of his career.