The festive season is full of cheer and goodwill to all men, so what better time to take a look at those talented players who are more acquainted with the physio room than the pitch. We've all suffered the odd 'twinge' every now and then, dead legs, pulled muscles or the dreaded cramp...but for some reason, some players are just more susceptible to injuries, is it genetic or technique deficiency that leads to these injuries...or just plain bad luck?
Whatever the reason, here is my homage to the greatest team that you'd never get on a pitch;
GK - Chris Kirkland. Undoubtedly talented, but also famously injury prone. Once touted as a future Engalnd No.1 until a string of injuries have all but ground his career to a halt. Back problems, knee problems, dislocated finger, concussions to name but a few.
DEF- Jonathan Woodgate. In an era where English football was churning out some of the best centre-halves in the world, Woodgate was amongst the best. Combined transfer fee's of approx. £35million over the course of his career, but only 8 England caps tell the story. His transfer to Real Madrid often appears in "Worst Transfer" lists, but a debut including scoring an own goal and getting sent off but still receiving a standing ovation from the Real Madrid fans tell you all you need to know about him.
DEF - John Mensah. A natural defender, the big Ghanaian was never blessed with electric pace, but with impeccable positioning and timing, big John never really needs to be quick. A look down his list of clubs paints a picture of a journeyman player, however regular appearances in the Ligue 1 team of the year show how good a player he is. Injuries have caught up with him in recent years and Sunderland fans will no doubt be cursing that fact.
DEF - Ledley King. What can you say about Ledley King that hasn't already been said a thousand times before? Arguable a better defender than JT, who if fully fit would have given every England manager for the last 5 years a selection headache. The measure of the man is that he has no cartilage in his knee, can't train, can only manage one game a week but is still the club captain of Spurs and was called up to the provisional World Cup squad in 2010. Its not just his knees though, recently groin and fashionable metatarsal injuries have added to problems. Honestly though, still one of my favourite defenders in Premier League history.
MID - Kieron Dyer. Candidate for unluckiest man of the team-sheet. Hamstring and groin problems blighted his early career, the standard injury for a nippy winger, but in recent years broken legs and a freak eye injury in training have restricted him to just 64 appearances since the start of the 2005/06 season. No matter how injury-prone he is, the decision by West Ham co-owner David Sullivan to publicly suggest he should retire is despicable and shows what kind of person Sullivan is (if the fact that he's a porn mogul wasn't giving you a hint).
MID - Jimmy Bullard. When Jimmy Bullard lined up for Wigan in their inaugural season in the Premier League he was a breath of fresh air. Finally here was a premiership star who loved playing football and showed it. Entertaining and hardworking and a bit of a joker behind the scenes (when the floodlights failed mid-way through a Wigan game, Bullard dribbled the ball from the edge of the Wigan box round a number of opposition players the full length of the pitch before thumping a strike over the bar). Numerous knee injuries have since blighted the career of one of the most entertaining players in recent years...he could hit a free kick too.
MID - Darren Anderton. Much like Ledley King, there isn't much to say that hasn't already been said. Never the most athletic player, but had the technical ability that meant it didn't matter. Will be a hero at Bournemouth for the rest of his days though.
MID - Stephen Appiah. An absolute legend wherever he has played and even more so in his native Ghana. Injury and contract issues have stalled his career in recent years, 15 games for Cesena last season Stephen is currently unattached despite rumours of him training with Spurs in recent times.
MID - Arjen Robben. Injured at Chelsea, injured at Real Madrid, immense at Bayern Munich. Still not completely fit, but undoubtedly would be up there in any list of the best players in the world if he could convince the world that he is fit. A rare breed of a lighting quick winger with an end product.
FWD - Dean Ashton. Widely described as an "old fashioned number 9", but Dean Ashton was far better than that. Scored goals in struggling teams despite struggling to get himself 100% fit, a training ground challenge whilst on England duty in 2006 broke his ankle, from which he never recovered and forced him into retirement in 2009
FWD - Ronaldo. The original (and still the best) Ronaldo. Scored a bag full of goals at every club he went to. Many people wrote big Ron off after serious knee injuries at Inter Milan, but he was back to his mercurial best at the 2002 World Cup, earning him a move to Real Madrid. Further injuries and weight issues meant that Fabio Capello offloaded the striker to AC Milan, in February 2008 Ronaldo again ruptured the ligaments in his knee, causing the opposition goalkeeper at the time to say it sounded like a gun going off when the ligament snapped. Ronaldo was beside himself in the dressing room, knowing only too well what had happened to his knee, a few false starts in Brazil were finally ended in February 2011 when he announced his decision to retire. The game will never be the same.
Subs - Owen Hargreaves, Jamie Redknapp, Michael Owen, Michael Bridges, Tomas Rosicky
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