For sportsmen and women, injuries are an unwanted by-product of a career dedicated to the pursuit of a passion.
Many a promising career is over before it has even started due to injury, leaving a young player to pick up the pieces, their dreams dashed and a new vocation needed.
While such stories are sad, they are all too common in professional sport. And in football, many players are blighted by fitness issues throughout their time in the game.
Others suffer later on and for some, it is enough to curtail their careers. Here, a look at the famous footballers who were forced to hang up their boots due to injury...
32. Willem Korsten
Willem Korsten signed for Tottenham from Vitesse Arnhem in 1999 following a short spell on loan at Leeds United, but Spurs fans didn't get to see him too much.
The highlight of the Dutch winger's two-year spell at White Hart Lane came on the final day of the 2000/01 season, when he scored two spectacular goals in a 3-1 win over Manchester United. Sadly, it turned out to be his last game as a professional footballer as he retired in the summer due to persistent hip problems at the age of 26.
31. Taylor Twellman
Taylor Twellman played 30 times for the United States between 2002 and 2008, scoring six times, and was a prolific forward for the New England Revolution.
Twellman suffered a neck injury and serious concussion following a collision with LA Galaxy goalkeeper Steve Cronin in August 2008 and despite attempting to resume his career on a number of occasions, he announced his retirement at the age of 30 in 2010.
30. Alvaro Benito
A talented midfielder at Real Madrid in the late 1990s, Alvaro Benito suffered a serious injury playing on his only appearance for Spain's Under-21 team in 1996.
Benito underwent three operations in four months and was also involved in a car accident. After a loan spell at Tenerife and a brief stint at Getafe in Spain's second tier, he hung up his boots in 2003. Since retirement, he has featured as vocalist and guitarist in rock band Pignoise, as well as working as a football pundit on Spanish television and radio.
29. Javier Clemente
Best known for leading Athletic Club to back-to-back La Liga titles in 1983 and 1984 and for a six-year spell in charge of Spain, Javier Clemente was also a promising player in his younger years.
Clemente was a midfielder for Athletic and made his debut as an 18-year-old. Part of the team which won the Spanish Cup in 1969, the Basque suffered a serious injury to his tibia and fibula later that year and after four unsuccessful operations, he retired at the age of just 24.
28. David Odonkor
David Odonkor won 16 caps for Germany between 2006 and 2008, but the winger was plagued by injuries – particularly towards the end of his career.
After an injury-interrupted five years at Real Betis, Odonkpor dropped down to Germany's second tier with Alemannia Aachen in 2011. And following another lengthy layoff in Ukraine at Hoverla Uzhhorod, he retired in September 2013 at the age of 29.
27. Brian Clough
Brian Clough is best known for his exploits in management and is especially associated with Nottingham Forest, where he won back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980.
But he was also an elite player. A prolific striker with Middlesbrough and then Sunderland, Clough was capped twice by England and his 200 league goals came at almost one per game. In a collision with Bury goalkeeper Chris Harker in December 1962, Clough tore the medial and cruciate ligaments in his knee. He returned two years later, but was forced to retire after just three games at the age of 29.
26. Ryan Mason
Ryan Mason emerged from Tottenham's academy and made 70 appearances for the north London club between 2012 and 2016, winning one England cap in 2015.
Sold to Hull City in 2017, the midfielder fractured his skull in a collision with Chelsea's Gary Cahill. He had 14 metal plates put into his skull, with 28 screws holding them in place, plus 45 staples. However, he was forced to retire in February 2018 due to the risks of playing professional football again. He was just 27.
25. Lucas Radebe
Lucas Radebe is regarded as one of Leeds United's best-ever central defenders, but the South African's career was badly interrupted by injuries.
Radebe played 256 games for the Whites across 11 seasons and featured sparingly towards the end, making just three appearances in his final campaign and none at all in 2001/02. He eventually retired in 2005.
24. Micah Richards
Micah Richards came through the youth system at Manchester City after spells at Leeds and Oldham and emerged as one of England's most talented defenders.
The right-back was a Premier League winner in 2011/12 and picked up 13 caps for England, but was sidelined by a persistent knee injury and after spells at Fiorentina and Aston Villa, he retired in 2019 at the age of 31.
23. David Busst
Coventry City's David Busst suffered one of the most horrific injuries in memory when a collision with Manchester United players Denis Irwin and Brian McClair snapped the defender's right leg and left him with extensive compound fractures to both the tibia and fibula.
Busst underwent 22 operations in an attempt to return to action, but was forced to retire on medical advice at the age of 29 in 1996. Paul Gascoigne and Eric Cantona were among many big names to appear at his testimonial the following May.
22. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spent 11 seasons at Manchester United and will forever be remembered by the fans for his epic late winner in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich.
In 2007, Solskjær underwent minor surgery on his knee and although the procedure was successful, he never fully recovered and announced his retirement that August.
21. Pablo Aimar
Pablo Aimar is one of the most talented footballers produced by Argentina and the midfielder was idolised by a young Lionel Messi. Unfortunately, his career was interrupted by injuries.
The former Valencia, Zaragoza and Benfica player finally announced his retirement in 2015 during his second spell at River Plate after struggling with injuries in pre-season. He won 52 caps for Argentina.
20. Sergio Aguero
Sergio Aguero scored 260 goals in 390 appearances for Manchester City in a decade at the club and left as a legend in 2021.
The Argentina forward signed for Barcelona but would make only five appearances for the Catalan club, scoring one goal, before he was forced to retire in December 2021 at the age of 33 due to a heart problem.
19. Abou Diaby
Restricted by injuries all through his career, Abou Diaby averaged only 18 games per season in his 10-year spell at Arsenal.
The midfielder, who won 16 caps for France, played just five games across two seasons after moving to Marseille and eventually saw his career cut short due to injuries at the age of 32, having not played in over a year and a half.
18. Alf-Inge Haaland
Better known these days as the father of one of the world's finest footballers, Alf-Inge Haaland was a talented midfielder in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Haaland won 34 caps for Norway and played for Nottingham Forest, Leeds and Manchester City. In a derby against Manchester United in 2001, he was caught by a vicious Roy Keane tackle on his right thigh, but actually retired in 2003 due to problems with his left leg at the age of 30. He briefly came out of retirement to play in Norway's third tier in 2011, before finally hanging up his boots in 2013.
17. Norman Whiteside
Norman Whiteside was spotted in Belfast by the same scout who discovered George Best and the younger man followed his compatriot's path to Manchester United.
The midfielder became United's youngest scorer and the youngest player to appear at a World Cup when he featured for Northern Ireland as a 17-year-old in 1982. But his career was blighted by injuries and, after a short spell at Everton, he retired at the age of just 26 in June 1991.
16. Ledley King
Ledley King spent his entire career at Tottenham Hotspur and is a legend at the north London club.
One of the best central defenders in Spurs' history, King also played 21 times for England but was restricted by a chronic knee problem. Later in his career, he was not even able to train between matches. He was eventually forced to retire in 2012, at the age of just 31.
15. Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel Petit formed a memorable midfield partnership with Patrick Vieira at Arsenal and won the Premier League and FA Cup double in his first season with the Gunners.
Later that summer, he won the World Cup with France as well and scored in the final after coming off the bench. A move to Barcelona in 2000 did not work out and a return to England with Chelsea fell well short of his first spell in London. Released by the Blues after making just seven appearances in his final season, Petit was not able to fully recover from a knee injury and retired in January 2005.
14. Luc Nilis
After long and successful spells with Anderlecht and PSV Eindhoven, Belgium striker Luc Nilis signed for Aston Villa in 2000 at the age of 33.
Nilis made a promising start to life in Birmingham as he scored on his debuts in the Intertoto Cup and the Premier League, but a collision with Ipswich goalkeeper Richard Wright left him with a double compound fracture of his right shin. It became infected and the player feared amputation at one point. That was avoided, but the Belgian did not play professional football again.
13. Sebastian Deisler
One of the most talented players of his generation, Sebastian Deisler suffered with persistent knee injuries throughout his career and also depression.
After a move from Hertha Berlin to Bayern Munich in 2002, Deisler made just 90 appearances for the Bavarians across five seasons and retired with less than 200 club games under his belt at the age of 27. He also won 36 caps for Germany, but missed the 2002 and 2006 World Cups through inury, as well as Euro 2004.
12. Luigi Riva
Luigi Riva is Italy's all-time top scorer to this day and a legend at Cagliari, where he spent almost all of his career, turning down a number of lucrative offers to sign for bigger clubs.
Riva ruptured a tendon and tore an adductor muscle in his right thigh in a game against AC Milan in February 1976. He never fully recovered and after several failed attempts at a comeback, he was forced to retire in 1978 at the age of 33.
11. David Silva
David Silva won 125 caps for Spain and was part of the squads which won Euro 2008, Euro 2012 and the 2010 World Cup. He also spent 10 successful seasons at Manchester City.
After leaving City, Silva opted to extend his career at Real Sociedad and continued at a very high level, but the midfielder ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in July 2023 and retired just six days later at the age of 37.
10. Brian Laudrup
One of Denmark's best-ever players, Brian Laudrup had spells at some of Europe's biggest clubs – including Bayern Munich, Ajax, AC Milan and Chelsea.
The winger, younger brother of former Barcelona and Juventus star Michael, also spent four successful years at Rangers and won Euro 92 with Denmark. But he was sadly forced to retire from football at the age of 31 due to injuries.
9. Gabriel Batistuta
Gabriel Batistuta is one of the greatest strikers in history. Argentina's top scorer until he was overtaken by Lionel Messi, Batigol spent nine years at Fiorentina, won a Serie A title at Roma and played for both River Plate and Boca Juniors.
During a spell in Qatar late in his career, he was close to a return to Boca and almost joined San Lorenzo, but had to hang up his boots due to persistent ankle problems which caused him such pain after his retirement that he asked his doctor to amputate. Fortunately, he was able to undergo a less extreme operation to remove the pain instead.
8. Jack Wilshere
Jack Wilshere was described by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as having "Spanish technique and English heart" and the midfielder was a fan favourite with the Gunners.
Wilshere made close to 200 appearances for the north London club and won 34 England caps, but his career was interrupted by injuries and he retired in 2022 at the age of 30, following short spells at West Ham, Bournemouth and Danish side Aarhus.
7. Andre Schurrle
Andre Schurrle played a key part in Germany's 2014 World Cup win. The former Chelsea attacker came off the bench to score the opening goal against Algeria in the last 16, netted twice more in the 7-1 win over Brazil in the semi-finals and set up Mario Gotze for the winner in the final against Argentina.
Schurrle's career came to an end in 2020 after an injury-interrupted spell on loan at Spartak Moscow. Following a long spell out, the winger said he had lost motivation and rescinded his contract with Borussia Dortmund, surprisingly announcing his retirement at the age of 29.
6. Fernando Redondo
When Real Madrid signed Luis Figo in 2000 and decided to sell Fernando Redondo, a group of fans protested outside the club's headquarters. The Argentine midfielder did not want to leave, either.
The stylish deep-lying midfielder was sold to AC Milan but suffered a serious knee injury in one of his first training sessions at the Italian club. After a long time out, he made just 33 appearances in four years and announced his retirement at 35 following another knee injury in 2004.
5. Carles Puyol
Carles Puyol put his body on the line every time he stepped onto the football field for Barcelona or Spain. Eventually, that took its toll on the courageous centre-back.
Puyol said he wanted to play on to the age of 40, but a troublesome Achilles problem brought the defender's career to an end in 2014. After 36 injuries in his career and a number of knee operations, the World Cup winner retired at the age of 36.
4. Pierluigi Casiraghi
Pierluigi Casiraghi arrived at Chelsea with a big reputation in 1998. One of Italy's best strikers in an exceptional era for forward players in the country, the former Lazio striker had 44 caps and 13 goals for the Azzurri.
But he scored only one goal in 10 appearances for the Blues and suffered a cruciate ligament injury in a collision with West Ham goalkeeper Shaka Hislop in November 1998. Despite undergoing 10 operations, he was unable to make a comeback.
3. Uli Hoeness
Uli Hoeness won three Bundesliga titles and three European Cups with Bayern Munich but was never the same after a brutal challenge from Leeds United's Frank Gray in the 1975 final.
Hoeness suffered an injury to his right knee and never fully recovered. Forced to retire at the age of 27, he went on to spend 40 years working for Bayern's board as general manager and later as club president.
2. Tostao
Tostao was an intelligent and creative forward who played an important part in Brazil's 1970 World Cup triumph and netted 32 goals in 54 games for his country.
A year before that win in Mexico, he suffered a detached retina and never fully recovered after he was hit in the face by the ball in a game aganst Corinthians. The problems with his sight later resurfaced and he opted to retire at the age of just 27.
1. Marco van Basten
A legend at Ajax and AC Milan, Marco van Basten is a three-time Ballon d'Or winner and a European champion with the Netherlands.
Considered one of the best strikers of all time, Van Basten scored 283 club goals and a further 24 for the Netherlands. The Dutch forward played his last game at the age of 28 and was forced to retire two years later after failing to recover from a serious ankle injury.
