Who is the most injured football player in history?
Who is the most injured football player? Reece James has picked up a hamstring injury and will be out for the remainder of the season, a situation no one wants to be in. However, the defender is no stranger to injury and has struggled to stay fit when he has been out for long periods. It seems he has endured more bad spells than he has had at his club at this point, so his inclusion in this list of the most injury-prone stars of all time should come as no surprise to anyone. From potential players who have had their potential denied by injury, to world-class stars who have had their playing time cut short, here are the 10 most injury-prone footballers of all time that Premiumsoccertips.net have compiled.
10 Most injury-prone footballers ever
10. Reece James
Regularly regarded as one of the best full-backs in the world, James continues to show great potential despite some serious injury problems over the years. After a year on loan at Wigan in 2018/19, the Englishman impressed and was given a chance at Chelsea the following season and has not let it go to waste.
He was the Blues’ first-choice right-back for the next four years, but injuries have repeatedly held him back and he has only made more than 30 Premier League appearances for the club once. As he is still young, James will be hoping to turn things around and overcome his injury problems, and hopefully he will, otherwise he could end up like some of the other names on this list.
9. Thomas Vermaelen
Thomas Vermaelen was considered a real talent early in his career and his move to Arsenal in 2009 seemed to confirm that. After a strong start to life at the club, he fell out of favour with Arsene Wenger and was sold to Barcelona in 2014.
However, that was when things went south for the centre-back and injuries soon curtailed his career. The Belgian joined the La Liga side in the summer of 2014, but didn’t even make his debut for the club until May after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
For those hoping that this would be the start of a long run of form for the club, they were left disappointed as Vermaelen’s injuries failed to improve and he was limited to just 64 appearances over the next four years. He eventually left Barcelona for Vissel Kobe in the J1 League, but still could not stay healthy and after just 58 appearances over the next three seasons, he retired in 2021.
8. Thiago Alcantara
Throughout his career, Thiago Alcantara has been regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world, and he has proven that talent every time he has stepped onto the pitch. However, the biggest weakness in his career has been his inability to maintain a consistent presence. Despite playing for prestigious clubs such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Liverpool, Thiago has only played 30 games in a single season, a factor that has prevented him from becoming a truly world-class midfielder.
Injury problems, including calf strains, hip and hamstring problems, have made it difficult for Thiago to maintain his form at Liverpool. As a result, his time there has failed to live up to the high expectations that many had when he joined the club, and this has largely been due to his lack of consistent injury.
7. Neymar
It’s hard to imagine the heights Neymar would have reached at Paris Saint-Germain had he not been hampered by so many injuries. The Brazilian torched La Liga during his days at Barcelona, and his move to France, the most expensive transfer of all time, was widely considered a huge success for PSG.
Unfortunately, Neymar has struggled for fitness and has never made more than 22 appearances in any of his six seasons in Ligue 1. Despite his limited playing time, the 31-year-old has continued to show his talent and still contributes a lot to the team. side. With 118 goals across six seasons, imagine how good he would have been had he not been forced to sit out so many times.
His move to Al Hilal this summer will hopefully bring better health and hopefully put his injuries behind him in France.
6. Michael Essien
Joining Chelsea in 2005, Michael Essien made a huge impact at the London club, playing a key role for the club in his first three years at Stamford Bridge. Unfortunately, injuries soon took a toll on the former Ghana international’s career and he only played more than 30 league games in just three seasons over the final 12 years of his career.
A loan spell at Real Madrid suggested a change of fortune for Essien as he remained relatively fit, but that was fine and his career has been a rollercoaster ride since then. After 22 appearances in two years at AC Milan, he moved to Greek side Panathinaikos, Persib Bandung in Indonesia and Sabail in Azerbaijan before retiring. There is no doubt he would have been an influential midfielder for many years at Stamford Bridge had he not suffered so many injuries over the years.
5. Gareth Bale
After an incredible career for Gareth Bale at both Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid, things didn’t end so well as the Welshman really struggled with injuries towards the end of his career.
After taking the world by storm at Spurs, the striker moved to Spain and joined Los Blancos. Things got off to a great start and he was a key part of the team’s incredible Champions League success in the 2010s. However, injuries towards the end of his time at the club damaged his legacy there and fans turned their backs on the star due to his lack of presence.
This was largely due to his lack of commitment, but it was mainly due to some serious injuries that saw him make just 27 appearances in his last two seasons at the club. A brief spell in MLS at Los Angeles FC saw him retire at the age of just 33. A sad end to one of Britain’s brightest talents and certainly the best player Wales has ever produced.
4. Owen Hargreaves
Following his exploits at the 2006 World Cup, where he was named England’s player of the tournament, Owen Hargreaves was on top of the world and was wanted by a number of big clubs. Having spent six seasons, making 199 appearances for Bayern Munich by that point, it was only natural that he would take his game to the next level after the international break, but things couldn’t have gone any worse.
The midfielder suffered a serious leg injury in the 2006/07 season and made just 17 appearances that year before joining Manchester United the following summer. After a bright start to his time at Old Trafford, which saw Hargreaves make 34 appearances for the Red Devils, his body gave out.
A series of further injuries followed and surgeon Richard Steadman claimed Hargreaves’ knee was in the worst condition he had ever seen. Injuries ruined his prospects and over the next four seasons the Englishman made just nine appearances for both United and Manchester City, before retiring in 2012 at the age of just 31.
3. Ronaldo
There are few strikers in football history as explosive and prolific as Ronaldo, who became one of the best strikers ever, despite a series of injuries that really affected the second half of his career.
Having first burst onto the scene at Cruzeiro, the striker quickly became a prolific goalscorer and eventually played for PSV, Barcelona and Inter Milan as one of the best strikers in the world. It was during his time in Italy that he suffered his first injury crisis, rupturing a knee tendon and missing almost two entire seasons midway through his tenure there.
Injuries ended his time at Inter and he joined Real Madrid soon after, where he quickly rediscovered his form. After five incredible seasons at Los Blancos, he joined AC Milan in 2006 and his injuries soon returned. He never quite reached the top level at the club and after two seasons on the sidelines he left for Corinthians, where he spent three years before retiring.
Never before has such a talented player seen his game so badly damaged by injury and it is scary to think how much better Ronaldo could have been had he stayed fit and in good form.
2. Jack Wilshere
Few things have happened bigger than Jack Wilshere’s career after the footballer spent much of his career stuck on the sidelines. It initially looked like the midfielder would become one of England’s best ever, and his fine form for Arsenal earlier in his career showed that.
The Englishman made 49 appearances in the 2010/11 season, in which he really broke through. However, he never made as many appearances again. Wilshere only made more than 30 appearances in one season, with just three more in the rest of his career, which spanned the next 11 years.
Injuries, mostly to the groin, ankle and calf, prevented Wilshere from having an incredible career and he retired in 2022 at the age of 30. What a shame.
1. Abou Diaby
Originally tipped as Patrick Vieira’s successor at Arsenal, Abou Diaby had high expectations and could well have been if he hadn’t been so unlucky with injuries. His career at the Gunners started well, but after suffering a serious ankle injury at the hands of Sunderland’s Dan Smith, his career was never the same. He showed flashes of those qualities over the next 12 years, but struggled to stay fit and only made more than 20 appearances in just two of those seasons.
Arsenal kept him for quite some time, but eventually had to admit he was never the player they expected and let him go in 2015 when he joined Marseille, but after just five appearances in just over two years for the French side, he retired in 2017 at the age of 31.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the serious injuries suffered by players like Abou Diaby, Jack Wilshere, and Ronaldo have unfortunately interrupted their careers. These injuries not only caused them to miss many important matches but also affected their overall development in their careers. However, the question “who is the most injured football player?” is still a difficult one to answer definitively, as each player has his own story, but the above names are certainly typical examples of the suffering caused by injuries in professional football.
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