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#3 Roberto Baggio
As we go back a few years in history, we revisit an inspiring story of recurrent injuries.
It is a fact that Roberto Baggio could have surpassed the exalted standards he set during a remarkable 18-year career had terrible injuries not curtailed him, but it is also a fact that he became one of the all-time greats inspite of them.
Baggio suffered his first career-threatening injury at just 18 but recovered in remarkable fashion. However, he soon picked up another horrific knee injury.
He went on to win the Ballon'd'Or in 1993 while at Juventus, but the Divine Ponytail struggled with injuries in Turin as well as at his next club AC Milan despite winning titles with both of them.
Baggio's knee problems were such that he has even gone on record saying that the excruciating pain made the ex-Italy international want to die at one point.
#2 Marco Reus
At his fluent best Marco Reus can be the best attacking player in the world. But he is hardly at his fluent best because of a series of catastrophic injuries that have not only ruled him out of crucial games for his club Borussia Dortmund but also Germany's World Cup triumph in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Reus had played an instrumental role in the qualifying campaign for the quadrennial tournament but picked up an ankle injury in a warm-up game. He also missed Euro 2016 through a groin injury and was part of the ill-fated German campaign in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Talk about bad luck!
The 31-year-old Dortmund captain continues to battle injuries but still dazzles the Bundesliga stage whenever he is fit and able to play.
#1 Marco van Basten
We end this list with another Marco and with the most tragic story of them all. Dutch legend Marco van Basten is one of the all-time greats of the game.
He is a three-time Ballon'd'Or winner, a two-time Champions League winner, a Serie A and European Championship winner. It seems the former AC Milan player achieved them all, but he only played till 28.
Van Basten, one of the most prolific and stylish strikers the world has ever seen, suffered from a diabolical recurrent ankle problem that refused to go away despite him spending seasons on the sidelines trying to rehabilitate his career. At 28, he finally gave up and left the game with his fans and even his then coach at Milan Fabio Capello in tears.
