Owen Hargreaves
The former Bayern Munich and Manchester United man was named England’s best player at the 2006 World Cup, but then sustained a broken leg. Following his recovery, he was diagnosed with tendinitis, going 777 days without a start for Manchester United, and Hargreaves’ knees were said to be in the worst state his consultant had ever seen in his career. Following such a drawn out injury history, he left Old Trafford under a cloud and signed for their neighbours Manchester City.