Would you be surprised to learn that the 7 out of top 20 most injury-prone footballers, played for Arsenal? We all hate to see our favorite athletes get injured out of play for many consecutive days. Injuries in the world of sport, not only hurt and have a lasting physical health consequences on the players. Badly injured athletes miss matches and training, which consequentially renders them less and less competitive. Here is the list of most often injured athletes in modern professional football.
Franck Ribéry – Most Football Injuries :
This French athlete is probably the unluckiest football player in the world. Franck Ribéry reigns supreme when it comes to the sheer amount of injuries he suffered throughout his career. Ribéry’s injuries total at a whopping 72! Thankfully most of his injuries weren’t too serious, which is why even with so many injuries, he wasn’t at the top of the list for most matches missed. Among other injuries, Ribéry went through: Ankle surgery, corona-virus infection, multiple abdominal influenzas, patella problems, fractured ribs and back pain. Franck has recently retired due to a bad knee injury. Ribéry also went through an awful car accident when he was younger, which led to his scars.
Thank God Ribéry stays away from alcohol. At least he limits his unfortunate injuries to the pitch.
Abou Diaby – Most Matches Missed Due to Injuries:
Former Arsenal and Marseille player, Abou Diaby is truly the king of the hiatus. His bad luck to injuries, caused him to stay off the pitch for 1747 days, consequentially making him miss 314 matches! This means that Diaby was virtually unable to play for a time total of almost 5 years! Diaby didn’t suffer from as many injuries as Ribery, but his 21 injuries made him miss the most playtime in the history of modern football. His most long-lasting recoveries came from a cruciate ligament rupture, a calf injury and a bad ankle injury.
Marco Reus :
Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus, doesn’t fall far from Ribery, when it comes to the amount of injuries. This German football athlete has suffered a total of 64 injuries. Fortunately for him, not many of them were any serious. Even though he has had so many hurtful moments on the pitch, he has only missed a 142 games. He is currently (December 2022) away from playing due to an ankle inflammation.
Arjen Robben :
Former Dutch player who was active in Bayern Munich and Real Madrid doesn’t shy away from the amount of injuries he suffered during his life. He went through a bad calf injury and a torn muscle problem among other injuries. He even suffered a flesh wound during play. Robben totals at 58 injuries in his career. Because of them, he was forced to miss over 243 matches, being rendered as unable to perform for over 1500 days (over 4 years worth of time – wow!).
Thomas Vermaelen :
Vermaelen used to play for Arsenal and Barcelona amongst other teams. He went through a total of 35 injuries, missed 1366 days of activity and couldn’t play during 267 matches! The injury that did him the most dirty were the problems with his achilles tendon, causing him to abstain from playing for most of 2011.
İlkay Gündoğan
İlkay is a professional German footballer who has played for Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City. This Turkish born player has faced a total of 33 injuries. Even though he has suffered a lot of damage during play, he has unable to perform for less than others on this list with a similar injury count. Gündoğan’s most recent injury has been a one of his hamstring. Almost half of his total hiatus time, was caused by a bad spinal injury that forced him to take a break from sports for over a year.
Vincent Kompany :
Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany is mostly known for his playtime in Manchester City. Kompany went through a man’s nightmare throughout his career, having suffered four groin injuries. The player went through 31 injuries and missed 176 matches as a consequence. His most painful and long-lasting injury was his adductus longus avulsion.
Stevan Jovetić :
Yet another Manchester City player who couldn’t stay away from getting over-injured on the pitch. Much like Kompany, Jovetić has suffered a total of 31 injuries. Stevan went through about half of his injuries while playing for Fiorentina. He has missed a total of 202 matches and 1408 days of activity.
