5 most heart-wrenching moments of the season gone by

Another season is done and dusted. While the game has given us its fair share of great moments and cause for massive celebrations, it has also seen and endured tough situations throughout the long season.

During football's down moments, is when people of all backgrounds be it fans, players, coaches and anyone connected to the game, comes together as the collective. While these issues always do get thrust into the spotlight, it is the manner in which the collective football community deals with the situation that revives the entire community.

Here are five such instances and some of the most heart-wrenching moments of the football season gone by.

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#5 Ryan Mason's premature retirement

English midfielder, Ryan Mason was forced to retire from football on medical advice following the head injury he suffered during Hull City’s Premier League match at Chelsea in January 2017, last season.

Mason, 26, sustained a fractured skull in a clash of heads with Chelsea defender Gary Cahill while defending a corner during his team’s defeat and subsequently received treatment for ten minutes on the pitch. He had surgery at St Mary’s Hospital in London and was released eight days later but has since struggled with his recovery, admitting he had “no choice” but to retire.

Mason began his career at Spurs and had loan spells with Yeovil, Doncaster, Millwall and Swindon before joining Hull in a £12m move in 2016. “I am and always will be eternally grateful for the incredible network of people around me who have helped me to recover from what was a life-threatening injury in January 2017,” the former player added.

The Tottenham manager, Mauricio Pochettino, also predicted that Mason could return in a coaching role. Currently working as a coach and working on his badges, Mason has transitioned from a footballer.

#4 Ray Wilkins' sudden death

The FA Cup final tribute to the late Wilkins

Former Chelsea captain Wilkins passed away following a cardiac arrest at his home on April 4th, 2018, aged 61. Wilkins, who also played for Manchester United, was taken to hospital where he was placed in an induced coma, but he died several days later.

Wilkins - known in the game by his childhood nickname 'Butch' - played for 12 sides and was on the coaching staff of several more, but is commonly associated with Chelsea. A Stamford Bridge fan favourite, Wilkins was adored by the Blues faithful and had carried out media duties with talkSPORT and Sky Sports, after his spell in coaching, shortly before suffering the cardiac arrest.

A winner of 84 England caps, he became just the fourth player to be sent off while playing for his country when he was dismissed during the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico, during a game against Morocco.

#3 Liam Miller's death

Celtic Park pays tribute to the late Miller

Former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland midfielder Liam Miller died aged 36, on Feb 10th after a hard battle with pancreatic cancer. The Irish international was diagnosed with the condition in November and returned home to Cork from the US where he had been playing.

Miller came through the youth ranks at Celtic and guided the club to the Scottish title in 2003-04 before making a massive move to Manchester United. The Irishman went on to make 22 appearances for the Red Devils in all competitions, scoring two goals during his time at Old Trafford.

Miller also spent time on loan at Leeds United before joining Sunderland, where he helped the Black Cats to the 2006-07 Championship title and Premier League promotion.

#2 Juan Carlos Garcia's death

Juan Carlos Garcia

Former Wigan Athletic defender Juan Carlos Garcia died earlier this year after a long battle with leukaemia, aged 30. The Latics confirmed the Honduras international, who played for the club between 2013 and 2016, died in his homeland on January 9th, surrounded by his family.

As Garcia's Wigan contract ended in 2016, he was granted permission to remain in the UK to continue his treatment, with support from the club and the PFA.

The left-sided player returned to Honduras in late 2017 continuing his battle to defeat cancer. Although, the former defender earned 39 caps for his country and was selected in the team that travelled to Rio for the 201 World Cup.

#1 Davide Astori's sudden death

Late Italian footballer Astori during his time with Fiorentina

Fiorentina captain Davide Astori tragically passed away hours before a match at Udinese on 4th March, aged 31. The club announced that captain Astori, an Italian international with 14 caps to his name, was found dead at the La di Moret hotel in Udine, ahead of the club's meeting with Udinese.

Astori, who started his career at AC Milan, enjoyed a 12-year career in Serie A, spending six years with Cagliari, making 174 appearances for the Sardinians. In 2014 he joined Roma on loan, before joining Fiorentina the following year.

He was made captain for the La Viola by Stefano Pioli earlier in the 2017/18 and had made 27 appearances during the campaign, scoring once. Astori will be remembered fondly for all the great memories he gave the game.