Highlights

• Abou Diaby tops the list of players with the worst luck when it comes to injuries, spending 1747 days injured and missing more than 300 games.
• Stevan Jovetic has also had his fair share of bad luck, spending over 1500 days injured and missing 211 games.
• Arjen Robben, known for his dazzling wing play, spent 1507 days injured and missed 243 games, but still managed to establish himself as one of the top wingers of his era.

Some players are just immune to being injured. Take Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes as a prime example – the Portuguese magician has missed a grand total of zero games (through injury) since making the switch to the Premier League. On the other hand, there are some footballers who become so injury-prone that their careers never meet the expectations laid about before them.

It begs the question of whether sport is about skill, or does it involves strong elements of luck, too. There is a litany of players – most included on this list – who have tried to make it to the top of the game, only to have been limited to time on the turf due to injury.

The folks over at PopFoot, combined with some crunched numbers provided by Transfermarkt, have provided a list of what can only be described as the footballers with the worst luck when it comes to being injured. Below are the top 15 as of September 2023. The number of days and matches missed have been included, while the number of injuries has also been displayed for good measure.

15 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

1172 days injured | 180 games missed | 20 different injuries

Following a successful six-year stint in Merseyside under the watchful eye of Jurgen Klopp, Oxlade-Chamberlain finally explored pastures new in the summer to join Turkish side Besiktas. Of course, the Englishman was rarely a nailed-on starter at Liverpool but much of that can be attributed to his poor injury record.

His change in career path seems to have brought him better luck early on. Indeed, he been fit for every game in Turkey so far this term, playing 20 times across all competitions.

14 Danny Welbeck

1190 days injured | 189 games missed | 19 different injuries

Formerly of Manchester United and Arsenal, the now Brighton man has not been without his injury woes. Having missed 189 games through 19 different injuries, the Manchester-born striker has still mustered a wonderful career.

Over 300 games in the Premier League have been racked up by Welbeck as things stand. Sadly, however, with that figure poised to increase until he calls it a day, it seems more than likely that his injury list will grow too.

13 Phil Jones

1239 days injured | 217 games missed | 23 different injuries

Despite being on the fringe of the Manchester United squad for quite some time, Jones has still experienced his fair share of poor luck on an injury front. Most notable was his knee injury that set him aside for a monstrous 454 days. The other 785 days that he missed via injury ranged across his career and perhaps prevented him from becoming one of England’s greatest-ever centre-backs. After all, Sir Alex Ferguson once said:

“[Phil] Jones, arguably, the way he is looking, could be our best-ever player.”

12 Giuseppe Rossi

1241 days injured | 132 games missed | 8 different injuries

Rossi may have only been hit with eight different injuries during his playing time but still endured a prolonged time at the treatment table and, subsequently, out of action. The seasoned Italian played for the likes of Manchester United, Fiorentina and most notably Villarreal.

During his time with all those clubs, he has had to deal with numerous fitness setbacks. In total, the Italian has spent 1241 days away from action, missing 132 games in that sequence. He retired in 2023 after a spell with SPAL aged just 36.

11 Thomas Rosicky

1301 days injured | 195 games missed | 16 different injuries

It’s not unfair to say that injuries prevented Rosicky from fulfilling what was expected of him. Now 43 and happily retired, the midfielder spent a decade plying his trade in north London and plundered just 170 games – a figure expected to be much higher. Ultimately, injuries marred his believed potential. The Czech international’s former Arsenal teammate Emmanuel Adebayor, albeit jovially, once said that he had become so injury-prone that even a modest conversation put him at risk, saying:

“If you said as much as ‘How are you?’ to him, he would then be injured”.

10 Holger Badstuber

1305 days injured | 212 games missed | 22 different injuries

The injury-ravaged career of Badstuber is much lesser-known than some of the high-profile names on this list. That being said, he still missed 212 games of his career on 22 different occasions which equates to 1305 days of being away from the grass.

As he rose up the Bayern Munich ranks from 2005 onwards, Badstuber was living the dream, but any sort of progression was always halted by an injury of some sort. After time at Schalke 04, VfB Stuttgart and FC Luzern, he retired in 2022, aged 33 and even spoke about his fitness struggles in his farewell post, saying:

"Of course I'd have wished for fewer serious injuries. But I'm very happy about what I've achieved. I'm grateful for everything."

9 Marco Reus

1313 days injured | 156 games missed | 68 different injuries

Mr Borussia Dortmund himself. Across his fine playing days, Reus has suffered with 68 separate injuries which has left him unavailable for selection for 156 games and 1313 days in total.

The German side have often relied on his capabilities to spring them into action when they needed it the most and looked an entirely different entity with him out of the team, which has unfortunately become a regular situation over the years. Perhaps his fitness struggles were in mind when he chose to give up the club captaincy role in 2023.

8 Ronaldo Nazario

1324 days injured | 159 games missed | 8 different injuries

Two-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo is in eighth spot. Known for schooling defenders left, right and centre in his heyday, the Brazilian is easily one of the best strikers the world has ever seen. Interestingly, the enigmatic forward amassed just eight injuries across his time as a footballer which means they were all long-term and, subsequently, more serious.

Most tragically, just six minutes into his return from the first knee problem which had kept him out for five months, the striker suffered a horrific setback as his "knee-cap actually exploded and it ended up in the middle of his thigh." Just ask yourself this: what could he have achieved it if hadn’t been for those injuries?

Read More: 15 Worst Injuries in Football History

7 Franck Ribery

1363 days injured | 227 games missed | 72 different injures

Having amassed 72 different injuries over his glittering career, Ribery spent 1363 days away from action. He and Robben forged one of the most dangerous wing pairings to grace the game during their respective Bayern Munich careers, so you can just begin to imagine the extent of the damage they could’ve caused should the Frenchman’s injuries eased. As the wide man finally announced his retirement, he admitted that he had little choice in the matter given his long line of injuries had taken a toll on his then-39-year-old legs:

“But today, despite the effort I have made in the last three months, the pain in my knee has only worsened and the doctors are clear – I have no choice but to stop playing”.

6 Thomas Vermaelen

1366 days injured | 267 games missed | 35 different injuries

Eyebrows were raised when Belgium international Vermaelen secured a switch from Arsenal to Barcelona given his injury record. Across his full career, the former captain of the north London outfit missed 267 games with 35 different injuries.

Now working as the manager of the Belgium Under-20s, the centre-back will look back at his playing days with sorrow knowing that injuries perhaps stopped him from ever truly reaching his full potential. Still, he won trophies in Holland, England, Spain, and Japan, so it wasn't a career wasted by any means.

5 Vincent Kompany

1419 days injured | 176 games missed | 31 different injuries

Synonymous around Manchester for his tiptop leadership qualities, the current Burnley manager had a tumultuous playing career, despite the countless successes. During his time at the Etihad Stadium, Pep Guardiola grew increasingly concerned at his track record of picking up knocks, having suffered most from calf and shin damage.

Luckily, his setbacks didn’t have a devastating effect on his career, as proven by the fact that he pulled the curtains on his playing days as a four-time Premier League champion. Still, Kompany failed to play more than 20 league games in his final four seasons with the club, showing just how much he struggled to stay fit at times.

4 Jack Wilshere

1470 days injured | 214 games missed | 18 different injuries

An unsurprising inclusion on the list is Wilshere, 31. The English midfielder, who is now head coach of Arsenal’s Under-18’s, is probably best known for his all-encompassing engine room display against Barcelona, who boasted the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets.

At the tender age of 19, the Stevenage-born ace had the world at his feet but his career – dogged by injuries – was cut terribly short thanks to his long line of injury problems. He went from the poster boy of English football to a player synonymous with the treatment table in just a matter of years. What a waste of talent.

3 Arjen Robben

1507 days injured | 243 games missed | 58 different injuries

Despite spending 1507 days on the wrong side of the white line, the dazzling Dutchman still established himself as one of the top wingers of the modern era. The inevitable cut inside and whip into the far top corner became his trademark move and while it caused many defenders a headache, he became all too limited through injury.

Despite his fitness woes, he was still an esteemed part of some of Bayern Munich’s fiercest teams. The 96-cap Netherlands international scored 144 goals and notched a further 101 assists in his 309-game career in Germany. He also was named Man of the Match in the 2012/13 Champions League final, netting the winner against Borussia Dortmund.

2 Stevan Jovetic

1510 days injured | 211 games missed | 33 different injuries

Formerly of Manchester City, the centre-forward has been on the wrong side of luck way too many times for his liking. In turn, as with many players on this list, can count himself unlucky.

Still earning his corn aged 34 at Olympiacos, the Montenegro international has picked up 33 injuries and spent 1510 days side-lined altogether. At least he's still playing in his 30s, although these unfortunate figures are likely to increase over the final few years of his career.

1 Abou Diaby

1747 days injured | 314 games missed | 21 different injuries

Topping the injury-stricken list is former Arsenal midfielder Diaby. Tipped to become Patrick Vieira’s worthy successor upon his arrival in north London, the Frenchman was never quite able to live up to the hype. But that wasn't necessarily his fault.

Leading the way with 1747 days spent injured, which equates to 314 matches missed across 21 separate injuries, they don’t get more unlucky than Diaby. His career-altering challenge dealt by Sunderland man Dan Smith will never be forgotten, especially in the eyes of Arsene Wenger, who threatened to take legal action:

“If you do that to a guy in the street, you go to jail. There was only one intention in this tackle, to hurt the plater, a career-threatening tackle. I will take legal advice to see how far I can go."

Read more: Abou Diaby tackle: Arsenal man's career was ruined by horrific Sunderland challenge