The top 10 most remarkable injury resurrections in football history - including Celtic and Liverpool stars

Easter is a time of new life. Whether its newborn lambs shakily frolicking through fields of sprouting daffodil bulbs, or Jesus Christ himself rolling back the boulder on his tomb and saying, ‘Y’know what, lads? I’m ain’t finished just yet’, the holiday marks a time of hope and rejuvenation, when spring finally springs and everything just feels... lighter.

And that got us thinking about football (it is after all, our job) and those instances in which players have defied the odds to overcome horrendous situations in an effort to breathe new vigour into their careers. So, without further ado, here are 10 of the most remarkable injury ressurections in footballing history...

Petr Cech

When a player comes back from a career-threatening injury, they rarely carry with them any kind of overt physical reminder. They might lose a yard of pace or show an occasional reluctance to properly delve into the more combative aspects of the game, but walking out of the tunnel or lining up to shake hands before the first whistle, you would never be able to tell that they had flirted with enforced retirement.

Not in the case of Petr Cech, though. The goalkeeper suffered a fractured skull just seconds into a match between Chelsea and Reading in 2006, and after a lengthy absence, eventually returned to action sporting a protective helmet. The headwear would become something of a trademark of Cech’s and he would continue to wear it for the rest of his trophy-laden career.

Henrik Larsson

Few players can claim to have made the kind of impact on Scottish football that Henrik Larsson did. The Swedish striker is still revered as a Celtic legend for his goalscoring exploits north of the border, but things could have been very, very different for him. In 1999, he suffered a horror injury, breaking his leg in two places during a UEFA Cup clash against Lyon.

Incredibly, however, Larsson was back in action just eight months later, and the following season he would go on to bag 53 goals in all competitions for the Hoops, winning the European Golden Shoe in the process.

Djibril Cisse

Another striker, another gruesome double leg break. When you reminisce about Djibril Cisse’s career, it’s easy to get caught up in the flashy haircuts and the general air of mercurial anarchy, but the Frenchman came within a whisker of being forced out of the game after suffering a horrendous injury during his stint with Liverpool.

Cisse snapped both his tibia and fibula, and later claimed that were it not for the intervention of the Reds’ medical staff, he may well have lost part of his limb below the knee. Incredibly, the forward broke his leg three times over the course of his playing career.

Santi Cazorla

Santi Cazorla was, and still is, a little wizard. The diminutive Spaniard can do things with a football that most people can’t even imagine, but arguably his greatest feat has been prolonging a career that could so easily have been ended prematurely.

It all started with a fairly unremarkable ankle injury sustained while playing for Spain in 2013, but Cazorla’s situation would become all the more complicated when he hurt his right Achilles tendon three years later. That setback would eventually require surgery after surgery, and by the end of his time under the knife, the midfielder had undergone eight separate operations. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Cazorla would contract gangrene, with his infection eating away at some of the tendon.

In the aftermath of his ordeal, the player had to have a skin graft, with a part of his forearm moved to his ankle, and a piece of thigh attached in its place. Cazorla has, somewhat wryly, described himself as a ‘jigsaw puzzle’. How he is still playing at the age of 38 is anybody’s guess, but good on him.

Luke Shaw

Luke Shaw seems to divide opinion more than most. There are those who believe that he has slowly grown into a steadily impressive creative full-back for both Manchester United and England, and those who earnestly argue that he has never truly been good enough to represent either his current club or his country.

But regardless of your personal opinion on him, there’s no disputing the immense fortitude to bounce back from the broken leg he suffered against PSV Eindhoven in 2019. At the time, there were question marks over whether he would ever play football again. In the years since, he has established himself as a regular at Old Trafford, and even scored in England’s Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy. Just don’t seek out the video of his injury. Not for the squeamish.

Jonas Gutierrez

A cult hero on Tyneside, and justifiably so. Gutierrez was diagnosed with cancer in 2013, and would eventually have a testicle removed as he fought hard to overcome the illness. His relationship with Newcastle United’s hierarchy was a chequered one, however, with Toon chiefs shipping him out on loan to Norwich City after he returned from his surgery. But his story at St. James’ Park was far from finished.

The following season, Gutierrez would score and assist two vital goals on the final day of the campaign to help the Magpies beat West Ham and ultimately stay in the Premier League. His iconic celebration, wheeling away as he ripped his shirt off in jubilation, still lingers vividly in the memory.

The Newcastle board would move him on in the months after, but the Argentine remains as popular as ever among the clubs fanbase.

Aaron Ramsey

Even by the normal shudder-inducing standards of on-field leg breaks, Ramsey’s was bad. The Welshman suffered a double break after contesting a challenge with Stoke City’s Ryan Shawcross in 2010 and spent eight months on the sidelines in recovery.

When he did eventually make his return for Arsenal, however, he came back stronger than ever, and would go on to become a vital presence for the Gunners for several seasons after.

Christian Eriksen

A horrifying and deeply affecting moment in time, Christian Eriksen collapsed during a Euro 2020 group stage encounter between Denmark and Finland after suffering a cardiac arrest. Urgent medical assistance arrived immediately, with both cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation performed on the pitch itself while his teammates and fans from across the world watched on in silent horror. An hour after the incident, it was confirmed that Eriksen was awake and stable in a local hospital.

For many, simply knowing that the Dane had survived was enough of a comfort, but the midfielder has since shown a near-superhuman resolve to return to elite action. First he spent a brief stint with Brentford before signing for Manchester United last summer. He has also made his comeback at an international level, and played every minute of his nation’s 2022 World Cup campaign.

Juan Arango

A hero back in his native Venezuela, Juan Arango suffered a genuinely grim injury while playing for Mallorca in La Liga. In a clash with Sevilla, the South American took an elbow to the face from opposition captain Javi Navarro, breaking his cheekbone and cutting his face quite severely. More immediately concerning, however, was the fact that Arango would also swallow his tongue in the incident.

Saved by the quick thinking of those around him, he would return later that season, and finished the campaign as Mallorca’s leading goalscorer.

Eric Abidal

One of the finest defenders of his generation, Abidal battled harder than most to keep his playing career alive through a series of incredibly challenging health issues. The Frenchman was diagnosed with liver cancer and underwent initial surgery in 2011. Later that year, he would lift the Champions League with Barcelona, but ultimately required a liver transplant just a few months after.

Amazingly, Abidal was cleared to resume training in late 2012, and soon after he signed a deal with AS Monaco, eventually hanging up his boots in 2014.