Football's Twilight Saga: Injuries and Players - The Good Side

Famous players have often been the recipient infamous injures. Fame (infamy too) and injuries, walk hand in hand. It could happen to anyone, from their first training session to the day they finally hang up their boots. Painful and career ending injuries have been splattered across the pages of history books with bad, heart-breaking and a “lived happily ever after” endings. Everyone likes a good, crunchy tackle, but people seldom notice the good side of it. So today my dear readers, let me enlighten you.

On the first look, there is no good side. Honestly, who would be happy with injuries to their best players. But Chelsea fans would think differently. Petr Cech suffered a horrific injury (thanks to Stehphen Hunt’s knee) and though it did not look deliberate, he always gets the stick when he is back at Stamford Bridge. Cech marked his return after a long absence, with his soon to be famous Umbro designed headgear, which would soon out turn out to be the trademark of the lad who of field wears Prada glasses.

From This,

To This,

People said he would never regain his top form. But he came back and silenced his critics in scintillating fashion. The famous headgear transformed him into a world-class goalkeeper, someone who’s impossible to beat at the grandest of all stages.

Let’s move on to the Curious Case of Fabrice Muamba. A man who went from being a complete unknown, to a guy who cheated death (not a Final Destination reference) . Practically no international fan knew him before his surprising cardiac arrest on field at White Hart Lane. He is a average player and for many Premier League clubs, a decent midfielder who gets the job done in both attacking and defending. A fine Arsenal product from 2004, he showed great promise which was ultimately never full-filled, but after he suddenly collapsed in an FA Cup quarterfinal match against Tottenham, everyone in the stands to the players on the pitch and every other Premier League side was waiting anxiously for updates on his health. He was then carried out on a stretcher and taken to the London Chest Hospital, as the fans applauded him off. After being declared dead for 78 mins, he made an extraordinary recovery which could be called nothing, but a miracle.

Now the best thing to come out of all of this is, the change in rules. Medical staff are now much closer so that players can get treatment quickly. What could’ve have happened if Petr Cech’s treatment was delayed for a few more minutes? They were not very fast to arrive at the scene and that according to Jose Mourinho, is the reason Cech has to wear headgear. One could only imagine what would have happened to Muamba, if help didn’t arrive on time. Todays rule’s have been dramatically changed, with referee’s able to bring on medical staff with a fair play rule in which gives the ball back to the team that had possession, before the injury.

Once again, there are very few good points of it, but the Saga or the Twilight Saga as I call, it will be there throughout the game as long as football remains a true contact sport and through every injury, one can only hope that there will be a beacon of hope at the end of the tunnel.

Muamba with his little boy