da bet vitoria： Yesterday was Ledley King’s 36th Birthday and for a player of his ability, his Premier League career should be coming to its natural end.
da esoccer bet： Indeed, a ‘Rolls Royce’ of a centre-half, King was the real deal – quick, good on the ball, dominant in the air and even better at defending on the deck. If you had Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell at opposing ends of the same spectrum, he’d be somewhere in between.
But as we all know, the Tottenham Hotspur legend was forced to retire four years ago after battling never-ending injury problems for the entirety of his career – to the extent that his knees famously had no cartilage and he was resultantly rested in between games rather than made to partake in training.
We at Football FanCast certainly haven’t forgotten about the former defender and although it may not be a birthday cake (good job he’s not Yaya Toure), we have assembled this Select XI in his honour.
Titled ‘Ledley King’s Made of Glass XI’, we take a look at eleven of the most injury-stricken stars throughout Premier League history.
Chris Kirkland
It’s difficult to remember a goalkeeper who has suffered as many injuries as Chris Kirkland. The former Liverpool shot-stopper was earmarked as the long-term successor to David Seaman in the England squad but he failed to reach anything near top international level.
Kirkland was good but injuries prevented the former Coventry man achieving his potential at any club he went onto play for.
Jon Flanagan
Jon may not win awards anytime soon for his good looks but his ability on the pitch is far greater. The Liverpool defender has been a consistent performer for the club since making his debut in 2010 but he’s been unable to regain his place in the Liverpool squad since becoming rather injury prone.
Burnley is now the club Flanagan represents, albeit on loan, and if the Liverpudlian can maintain a consistent run in the team without suffering any injuries, who knows what he may achieve?
Ledley King
Recently turned 36 years-old, King should still be playing for Tottenham but injuries have prevented the former club captain maintaining a long-lasting career.
King was riddled with injuries to the extent he couldn’t even train for much of his career and his loss to Tottenham has been huge. It took Spurs the best part of a decade to find a solution to King’s injuries but it was sad to see such talent being thwarted by bad knees.
Vincent Kompany
Manchester City captain Kompany rarely spends significant periods out but has had numerous strains and sprains over the years – calf and hamstring knocks, in particular.
Not since 2006 has an injury kept Kompany out for longer than three months, which is potentially more worrying for City fans as his injury setbacks do not look like giving up anytime soon.
What could City achieve with a fully-fit Vincent Kompany at the heart of their defence?
Kieran Gibbs
Arsenal left-back Kieran Gibbs can never quite manage to nail down a long-term place as his ability to venture forward and trouble the opposite defence has brought more injuries than goals or assists.
Gibbs’ injuries have been so devastating that he looks to have regressed as a player rather than improved. 10 different types of injuries in such a short career is incredibly worrying.
Abou Diaby
Once touted as the next Patrick Vieira, Diaby had all the potential in the world. But Diaby suffered nearly 40 separate injuries during his time at the Emirates Stadium – in just nine seasons.
Some lasted as long as a year, whilst others just months. The Frenchman spent a total of 2,156 days on the treatment table during his time at Arsenal.
Jack Wilshere
25 injuries have kept Wilshere out for a total of 957 days since becoming an Arsenal regular in 2010.
Now at Bournemouth on loan, Wilshere moved to the south coast to continue playing regular football. But question marks remain over whether the Arsenal player can ever achieve his full potential.
Wilshere is a player like no other in the England national team and he’s a huge loss to his generation.
Owen Hargreaves
After spending almost a decade with Bayern Munich, Owen Hargreaves finally received a big-money move to Manchester United in 2007 before injuries curtailed his career.
A regular feature in the England national team at the time, Hargreaves was decimated with injuries in the late 2000s, which halted any chance of success in England.
Hargreaves still managed to bag a Champions League winners medal and an English title during his Premier League career.
Fabian Delph
Once injured in just nine seconds of starting his first England game, the hamstring injury at Wembley summed up the career of Fabian Delph.
Delph was exceptional for Aston Villa when he was fit to play and since his move to Manchester City, his form has remained the same – but the injuries have not ceased.
He may not be the most technically gifted player but Delph is certainly worthy of a place in the City squad and his injuries are continuing to halt his progress.
Daniel Sturridge
Sturridge has missed more than 60 games for Liverpool in his four years at the club. That’s close to half of his Premier League career at Anfield!
His ability has no boundaries and what D-Studge could actually achieve is terrifying. However, we will not see anything near his full potential until his injuries are halted.
England’s best striker, Sturridge could guide the national team to success at last if he continues to remain injury free.
Andy Carroll
Carroll has suffered knee and hamstring problems – even heel issues of late. His fingers, toes, and even shoulders have effected Carroll’s career in the past five years, just like the nursery rhyme.
Carroll has suffered significantly and both of his big-money moves came with a major injury at the time. He may not be at the level of Sturridge in terms of ability, but Carroll has the potential to hurt any defence on his day.