10 most unfortunate injuries to high-profile footballers

Outweighing the dread of being dropped and topping the terror of a public scandal, being subjected to long-term injury is by far the greatest scourge faced by modern footballers. Whether it be a crunching break or a scorching tear, serious football casualties can sideline players for weeks on end, nullifying their fitness and putting them out of practice respectively. Many a player have declined in ability due to their time on the bench by virtue of a long-term injury and it has, albeit rarely, even stamped an abrupt end on those of others. Injuries are a familiar blot on multiple sporting copy books, but given the blistering intensity of the Premier League especially, football poses its fair share of horrific, high-profile afflictions.Clubs can witness their challenges derail should a key man see his campaign terminated with a single challenge and casualties of the significance you’re about to see can be some of the biggest talking points of a season.Here is a list of ten unfortunate injuries which you may be familiar with.

#1 Aaron Ramsey - Leg break

It was the injury that inaugurated a flood of tears from its perpetrator Ryan Shawcross, mass panic from the Arsenal faithful and a bucket-load of cynical comments from Arsene Wenger. Yes, Aaron Ramsey’s broken leg at the Britannia Stadium in 2010 formed the epicentre of the Premier League’s action that season, as the Welshman witnessed fractures to both his fibula and tibia, as the then 19-year-old’s future career hung in the balance.

Incredibly close to home for Arsenal and Wenger alike (a sentiment which prompted Wenger’s frustrations post-match), the Gunners had not long ago seen their Croatian striker Eduardo da Silva hacked down in similar fashion against Birmingham City two years earlier.

The Welshman’s rehabilitation comprised of loan spells with Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City respectively. At the latter he thrived, edging towards the image his youthful potential projected. It took time, but eventually Ramsey’s career ignited and he scored his first goal since returning in a 1-0 win over Manchester United in 2011.

Ultimately, the visions that day were scarring for a young professional like Ramsey and, whether it be due to modern footballers being far less robust than those who graced the pitch in the 1970s or not, leg breaks are growing far more regular on football pitches up and down the country.

#2 David Beckham - Metatarsal

When discussing high-profile injuries, few are more infamous than the cataclysmic broken metatarsal suffered by David Beckham, only a couple of months prior to the start of the 2002 World Cup. Playing for Manchester United in a Champions League quarter-final game with Deportivo La Coruna, Beckham was cut down by Argentine Aldo Duscher’s brutal sweeping challenge and, with his collapse to the floor, the nation’s hopes of tournament success unravelled rapidly.

Of the five metatarsal bones we have in each foot, it was the second, one of the most susceptible to injury, which cursed Beckham that day. The break sidelined him for long enough to keep the nails of England fans short and nibbled, but not so long as to rule him out of contention for the prestigious World Cup – which he did manage to lead England out into, resuming his role as golden boy to start the 1-1 draw with Sweden in the opening encounter.

Much like the now-so-prominent metatarsals support our framework, the weight of expectation regarding England’s success rested heavily on Beckham’s shoulders, but the injury rendered him a touch shy of full fitness and he failed to reach his maximum in the competition. The Three Lions were eventually dispatched by eventual winners Brazil in the last eight.

Broken metatarsals remain a burden for many footballers today, with experts eager to point the finger in the direction of boot manufacturers, suggesting the modern flimsy design of player footwear is putting the greatest at risk of severe casualty.

#3 Petr Cech - Depressed skull fracture

Ironically, it was from a gruesome injury that Petr Cech’s metamorphosis into one of the greatest goalkeepers the world has ever seen flourished. Having initially dreamed of becoming an ice hockey goalkeeper, a broken leg at the age of 10 handed the now 33-year-old the incentive to work on his catching and reactions while laid up and he grew to favour keeping on a football pitch.

Fast forward 14 years or so, after Chelsea snapped him up for £7 million from Rennes in 2004, amidst the intense heat of Chelsea’s league encounter with Reading in 2006, the onrushing Cech collided with Royals’ midfielder Stephen Hunt, resulting in the latter’s knee thumping the head of the then-Blues shot-stopper.

Due to the momentum of the clash, the casualty bore serious repercussions for Cech, not least the infamous head guard which the Czechoslovakian is so often associated with. It was described as a depressed skull fracture and was so significant because, not only was it the first time we’d seen such a serious head injury in such a high-profile match, but it also opened the door to questions regarding the protection of goalkeepers on the pitch.

Fortunately, Cech returned much earlier than originally predicted, following a successful surgery on his fractured skull. He remains one of the sharpest goalkeepers in world football, now playing with Arsenal in North London, but claims to have no recollection of how or when the injury occurred.

#4 Patrick Battiston - Broken bones, teeth and coma

On what couldn’t have been a much grander stage, Patrick Battiston was victim to one of football’s most scandalous fouls when he was practically body-checked by goalkeeper Harald Schumacher during France and Germany’s World Cup semi-final clash in 1982.

Dubbed as very “hyped-up” and “excitable” by Battiston himself prior to the infamous injury, Schumacher was to commit a crunching challenge on the French international defender that would have grave consequences. Slipped through on goal by team-mate Michel Platini, Battiston was met with a thumping shoulder charge by the opposition keeper which resulted in a trio of misfortunes for the Frenchman; a damaged vertebra, a broken jaw and the loss of numerous front teeth.

The collision left Battiston hospitalised and in a coma and the outrage felt by the French media was made painfully apparent. Many felt the foul tainted France’s hopes of advancing to the final that year as only two substitutes were allowed in World Cup matches at the time. The French were left a man light and thus, tiring, fell to defeat by penalties, despite leading the game 3-1 previously.

It was a moment of madness from Schumacher, encapsulating an individual’s over-riding desire to succeed and his bored-looking facial reaction following the incident reiterated how little the German sympathised with his French counterpart.

#5 Lionel Messi - Knee injury

Due to his fluid movement in the final third, Lionel Messi is seldom susceptible to any knocks or tussles, as he can often elude a trailing leg or abrasive slide. But when Barcelona locked horns with Las Palmas back in late September, the little Argentine was not so fortuitous.

After witnessing his left-footed effort blocked, Messi collided with opposition defender Pedro Bigas, alerting him to fall to the floor. Treatment was given to his knee on the pitch and Messi was taken aside before returning to the action. But the ten-minute mark hadn’t even elapsed when he made clear his desire to leave the field.

The result of what seemed a brief tangle? Messi had sustained a tear in the internal cruciate ligament of his left knee, meaning he would be absent from the team sheet for seven to eight weeks. He made his return only in the Clasico two months later, coming on as a substitute in Barcelona’s 4-0 triumph.

While it yet again occurred on a significant stage, and so was likely to gain attention in the first place, the injury announced to the world for the first time that Messi is no spring chicken and is, evidently, getting older.

#6 Luke Shaw - Leg break

Yet another recent addition to this catalogue of horrific injuries, Luke Shaw’s double leg-break in Manchester United’s visit to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League in September 2015 is still fresh in the mind of United fans. A reckless challenge by defender Hector Moreno resulted in a ‘clean break’ of the leg for the former-Southampton full-back, leaving him out of action for six months.

At 19 years old, it is a troublesome time to pick up such a severe knock for Shaw, who had looked promising under Louis van Gaal since signing from his boyhood Saints in 2014. The tackle, although not intended to harm Shaw, warranted oxygen treatment on the pitch, as well as multiple medical staff before the left-back was eventually stretchered off after a nine-minute stop in play.

It arose at a time in Shaw’s career when he was just starting to accumulate regular caps for England, but the significance of the challenge has installed a question mark above the future of his career at United. Numerous stories emerged linking the Red Devils to replacements for Shaw ahead of the January transfer window and, should said targets come into the club and begin playing well, it could be difficult for the Englishman to break into the side.

Furthermore, who says he’ll be able to emulate the potential we’ve seen in glimpses when he does return?

#7 David Busst - Compound fractures in the leg

In the injuries listed thus far, all have been damaging, but none so much to as to end a player’s career. But this was exactly the reality for David Busst when the Coventry defender slammed into Dennis Irwin in a 1996 league encounter with Manchester United.

Busst’s leg got trapped between Irwin’s and Brian McClair’s as he went for the ball, resulting in gruesome compound fractures of the tibia and fibula, the latter of which cracked and pierced the skin. With the match put on hold for a quarter of an hour and physios and paramedics alike rushed onto the pitch, blood pasted itself across the Old Trafford turf. Peter Schmeichel even began vomiting after he had a look at the injury. Schmeichel had to attend counselling for weeks afterwards to overcome the grotesque images on the day.

Although the casualty signalled the end of Busst’s professional career, he would have felt fortunate to be able to walk afterwards, given the fact he was once at risk of having his leg amputated after he contracted MRSA (an infection difficult to treat).

More than 20 operations later, and after several months in the presence of the Coventry squad, medical professionals advised Busst to retire, claiming he would never be able to replicate his former fitness. For many, this goes down as the worst footballing injury of all time.

#8 Sergio Aguero - Knee, muscle and hamstring

As exhibited by Aguero’s Argentine compatriot Lionel Messi, unprecedented agility and a small build may be lethal when unravelling opposition defences, but can often result in muscular casualties.

The Manchester City forward has been plagued by injuries since moving to the Premier League from Atletico Madrid back in 2011, suffering especially with knocks to his knee. For fans and pundits alike, though, the most prominent, recurring injury for Aguero has been with his hamstring.

His ‘Grade 2’ hamstring tear in Argentina’s World Cup qualifier with Ecuador was his first major muscular casualty in over a year, suffocating the false promise both he and City fans had been dealt, reiterating he is naturally injury prone.

For such an incredible player, one cannot help but feel the string of injuries Aguero has suffered in his time at the Manchester club have caused his progress as a player to somewhat stall. In my mind, there is no doubt he could have been on par with Messi and Ronaldo if he had stayed clear of injuries.

The individual casualties the forward has been subjected to are too vast to recount in detail. He injured his calf against Arsenal in December 2013 which resulted in a month out and eight games missed. Meanwhile, his infamous hamstring bane was particularly eminent a month later when he missed a further five games following an injury against Tottenham.

Rather admirably, Aguero has confirmed he will not alter his style of play to steer clear of injuries. But it is an incredible shame that the footballing community has not seen as much as it could have done of him, due to his continuing injury horror-show.

#9 Michael Ballack - Ankle injury

It would take a lot for this German giant to tumble. But following an ankle injury in the 2010 FA Cup final with Chelsea, Michael Ballack saw his esteemed international career grind to an instantaneous halt.

Kevin-Prince Boateng, then Portsmouth midfielder, slid into the former-Blues midfield anchor just over half an hour into play, causing the German to limp to the sidelines and, with it, his hopes of making the World Cup finals in South Africa a month or so later dissipated. An initial X-ray in the English capital alerted no immediate danger, but a more comprehensive scan back in Germany unveiled damage to two ligaments in the ankle, which had both sustained tears.

His ankle was consequently placed in a cast for the following weeks, but this was not a shadow of the misfortunate the then 33-year-old had suffered. As a result of the injury, Germany lost their skipper ahead of the greatest show on earth, simultaneously putting an end to the veteran’s career on the international stage, while it also spelt the end for his four-year tenure with the Blues.

It no doubt affected the squad and captured the headlines ahead of the first World Cup to be held in Africa, as one of the legends of the game who should have closed his Germany career with a bang, saw it vanish in a whimper.

#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.