Pogba, Hazard and the most INJURY-PRONE players in football

Tom Weber

• 14 Mar 2023 08:00 CDT
• 4 min read

Everyone gets injured, but some more than others - here are the six most high-profile injury-prone players in football right now.

Paul Pogba

French midfielder Paul Pogba is perhaps the biggest problem child in football currently. His free transfer to Juventus was supposed to revive his career, but instead, he has spent more time on the sidelines than on the pitch.

The 29-year-old is at present recovering from his FIFTH injury since his return to the Old Lady last summer.

READ: Paul Pogba’s SHOCKING injury record since Man Utd move in 2016

Even before his knee surgery in September 2022 and the disappointing setback that followed in October, Pogba was known for his injury troubles, missing a season's worth of fixtures between August 2019 and December 2020 due to recurring ankle problems while at Manchester United.

Eden Hazard

While perhaps not quite as severe as Pogba's injury record, Eden Hazard certainly boasts a more voluminous one.

Since joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2019, the Belgian has suffered 17 different injuries - more than Pogba has accumulated in his entire career.

His first long-term problem was a hairline fracture in his right fibula that saw him miss 15 games. Since then, he has mainly dealt with muscle injuries and has undergone surgery to remove a plate from his fibula.

In total, the 32-year-old has missed 78 games since joining Los Blancos.

Neymar

It is remarkable that Neymar has managed to perform at the highest level for such a long time considering his injury record.

Particularly since arriving at PSG in 2017, the Brazilian has been a frequent visitor to the emergency room, having dealt with more than 20 fitness issues in that time.

READ: 'Neymar? I'll stick to Martinelli': PSG star would be 'squad player' at Arsenal

Repeated metatarsal fractures marred the early days of his PSG career, while his ankles have begun giving up on him more recently. In fact, ankle surgery just ended his season prematurely.

Marco Reus

One of the most well-known tropes of recent football history is that Marco Reus always gets injured when he is set to appear on the big stage.

In 2014, when he was still one of the most exciting talents in Europe, Reus saw his World Cup dreams ruined due to a syndesmosis tear in his left ankle - Germany went on to win the World Cup without him.

Two years later, adductor problems kept him out of action at the European Championship, but he did ultimately break his duck by being able to feature during Germany's embarrassing 2018 World Cup campaign.

Now at 33 years old, Reus can look back on an injury history that had everything from tendonitis to partial ACL tears and even abdominal influenza. Though generally in better health now, Reus still occasionally has to deal with niggling injuries.

Ousmane Dembélé

From a current Dortmund player to one of his erstwhile teammates, next up is Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé.

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Since joining Barcelona in August 2017, the 25-year-old has suffered 15 injuries, including several long-term hamstring issues, which alone kept him out for a mind-blowing combined 456 days.

Add to this a long-term knee injury as well as some minor ailments and it's understandable why many feel that he has never been able to live up to the ridiculous €140m fee he commanded in 2017 - he simply hasn't been on the pitch enough.

Thiago

Already notorious for being injury-prone at Bayern, Thiago Alcantara's fitness struggles have only gotten worse since joining Liverpool in 2020.

Soon after arriving, Thiago was on the receiving end of a horror challenge by then-Everton man Richarlison in the Merseyside Derby. He came away without any serious long-term damage but was still sidelined for a vital stretch of the season that saw him miss 17 games.

Calf, thigh and hamstring injuries kept him out of action later on, and he is currently recovering from hip flexor issues.