Sometimes even getting out of bed in the morning can be a career threatening maneuver, well that is if you’re a footballer!
1 – Dave Beasant – jar of salad cream
Chelsea began their 1993-94 season without their first choice goalkeeper after Beasant showed uncustomary clumsy hands and dropped a full jar of salad cream and instinctively stuck a leg out to negate the error. The jar smashed on his foot severing a tendon in his big toe.
2 – Ivano Bonetti – plate of chicken wings
After Grimsby had lost 3-2 to Luton in February 1996, then manager Brian Laws was so incensed that his post match debrief degenerated in to a slanging match with his chastened players. As the ‘team-talk’ reached fever pitch, Laws also reached for something to hurl at his charges. That his weapon of choice was a plate of chicken wings accounts for the damage done – a fractured cheekbone – when it proved more accurate than Bonetti’s passes had been that day.
3 – Steve Morrow – Tony Adams’ shoulders
Arsenal played Sheffield Wednesday in both the League Cup and FA Cup final in 1993. Steve Morrow was only to feature in the first, despite scoring the winning goal. The 22-year-old match winner was hoisted in celebration on to the shoulders of club captain Tony Adams, who showed his usual deftness of touch in dropping his team-mate to the Wembley turf and breaking his collar bone.
4 – Leroy Lita – his own bed
You’d think that even a footballer would be safe from harm in their own bed (especially when alone). You’d think so, but you’d be wrong. Reading striker Leroy Lita had a spell in the treatment room back in the summer of 2007 after an early morning stretch before he had even left his bed saw him pull a muscle in his leg.
5 – David James – TV remote
James once claimed that playing football video games on the PlayStation had led to a dip in form but worse was to come when he strained his back reaching for a TV remote control.
6 – Liam Lawrence – his dog
The Stoke City midfielder badly sprained his ankle after a late night sojourn to the bathroom met with an untimely coming together with the family dog over which he tripped and fell. “He was walking down the stairs and tried to step over his dog and he’s gone over on his ankle. I don’t think anything is broken, but it’s very disappointing,” said manager Tony Pulis.
7 – David Batty – toddler’s tricycle
More than a few of Batty’s opponents no doubt raised a smile when the former Leeds United hardman was given a taste of his own medicine from his son – a crushing late challenge (at high speed on a tricycle driven carelessly by the toddler) damaging his Achilles tendons and sidelining him for several weeks.
8 – Rio Ferdinand – coffee table
Sometimes doing nothing is as dangerous as doing something. While at Leeds United Rio Ferdinand was resting and watching a bit of television with his feet up on a coffee table. Four hours later when he came to move Ferdinand had strained a tendon behind his knee and had plenty more rest ahead of him.
9 – Paulo Diogo – wedding ring
In December 2004 Diogo, a journeyman Swiss footballer, was so pleased with his role in setting up team-mate Jean Beausejour while playing for Servette against Schaffhauasen that he lept on to the perimeter fencing to be with the fans. Unfortunately for him, his wedding ring got caught on the fence and when he dismounted left a piece of his finger up there. Attempts to reattach the digit failed and some more was amputated for good measure.
10 – Kirk Broadfoot – egg in the face
Earlier this year the Rangers and Scotland defender was admitted to hospital after getting a little too close when inspecting a couple of poached eggs fresh out of the microwave. One of them exploded squirting scalding water in to his face. A full recovery was made. (Daily Telegraph)