C. Ronaldo, Beckham, Ronaldo: 10 players who played through injuries after Havertz breaks finger | OneFootball

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·6 January 2022

C. Ronaldo, Beckham, Ronaldo: 10 players who played through injuries after Havertz breaks finger

Article image:C. Ronaldo, Beckham, Ronaldo: 10 players who played through injuries after Havertz breaks finger

Kai Havertz had no time to celebrate his opening goal against Tottenham when he tumbled to the ground after taking his shot.

Article image:C. Ronaldo, Beckham, Ronaldo: 10 players who played through injuries after Havertz breaks finger

The German crashed into Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris before landing awkwardly on top of defender Davinson Sanchez.


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Havertz could be seen clutching at his hand, clearly in pain as his Chelsea teammates arrived to celebrate the opener.

Gruesome images soon emerged showing that the Chelsea star had clearly broken his little finger just five minutes into the match.

Despite the injury, the 22-year-old managed to play until half-time after briefly receiving medical attention to strap his fingers together.

Thomas Tuchel praised the youngster after the final whistle for continuing to play through the pain:"Kai has the issue with his finger, he broke his finger and it looked horrible,""And he played through the pain that was getting bigger and bigger. He survived until half-time and then we had to make the change."

However, Havertz is far from the first player to push himself to play through the pain. Here are ten more players that carried on playing through injuries.

Cristiano Ronaldo:

It's well known that Cristiano Ronaldo takes an incredible amount of care when it comes to his body. But that hasn't stopped the forward from pushing himself to the extreme when it really matters.

Back in 2014 the Manchester United star dragged himself through the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid whilst carrying knee and thigh injuries.

Article image:C. Ronaldo, Beckham, Ronaldo: 10 players who played through injuries after Havertz breaks finger

“I didn't want to miss the final of the Champions League or the World Cup. I wasn't fully fit, but I forced the issue.”

Article image:C. Ronaldo, Beckham, Ronaldo: 10 players who played through injuries after Havertz breaks finger

Vincent Kompany:

Vincent Kompany was always known for being a warrior. During his time at Man City, the defender was one of the best the Premier League had to offer.

But it was during a match for Belgium that the defender showed us just how truly fearless he was. In a 2013 World Cup qualifier, the defender crashed into Serbian goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic after attacking a corner.

The Manchester City icon was bloodied and bruised but continued playing for another 60 minutes. After the game, he was diagnosed with a cracked eye socket, a broken nose and a mild concussion.

Bert Trautmann:

During the 1956 FA Cup Final against Birmingham, Manchester City goalkeeper Bert Trautmann dived towards the feet of striker Peter Murphy.

The collision between the two players left Trautmann with serious pain in his neck, but as no substitutions were allowed, his options were limited to either continue playing or leave his team with ten men.

Article image:C. Ronaldo, Beckham, Ronaldo: 10 players who played through injuries after Havertz breaks finger

Trautmann saw the game out whilst also making two more crucial saves. But just three days after the game, an X-ray revealed that the German had suffered a broken neck.

The keeper was supposedly told by a surgeon at the time that he should have been dead. Trautmann downplayed his bravery saying: “If I'd known I had broken my neck, I would have been off like a shot.”

David Beckham:

When David Beckham broke his metatarsal less than two months before the 2002 World Cup, almost everyone feared he wouldn't make it to the competition.

But somehow the Manchester United legend managed to get himself fit enough to get on the plane to Japan and South Korea.

Article image:C. Ronaldo, Beckham, Ronaldo: 10 players who played through injuries after Havertz breaks finger

Except that wasn't quite the case. After crashing out of the tournament Beckham later confessed: "I was not 100% fit after being sidelined for eight weeks with that broken foot,""So there were obviously aspects of my game that were not right."

Franz Beckenbauer:

West Germany lost the 1970 World Cup semi-final against Italy 4-3 after extra time. But nobody can argue that Franz Beckenbauer didn't do absolutely everything in his power to try and stop them.

After a tackle from Italian defender Pierluigi Cera caused Beckenbauer to land awkwardly, the German legend had to play the entire remainder of the game wearing a sling.

Article image:C. Ronaldo, Beckham, Ronaldo: 10 players who played through injuries after Havertz breaks finger

It was eventually revealed that Beckenbauer's tumble had left him with a broken collarbone and a dislocated shoulder.

Cesc Fabregas:

In 2010 Cesc Fabregas was an injury doubt going into a Champions League tie against Barcelona due to a leg injury sustained in the game before.

The Spaniard had severe bruising to his right knee and leg but somehow passed the fitness test allowing him to play against his boyhood club.

Late in the game, he was bundled to the ground by Carles Puyol and awarded a penalty. He stepped up and scored past Victor Valdes but later admitted that he was in severe pain immediately after putting the ball in the net.

It was later revealed by Arsenal that the Spaniard had broken his leg, either in the Birmingham game or during the clash with Puyol. Fabregas said: "The adrenalin must have been flowing through me so strongly because I didn't feel any pain as I smashed the ball past Victor Valdes."

Terry Butcher:

Terry Butcher looked more like he'd been in a boxing match than a football match following England's 1990 World Cup qualifier against Sweden.

The England defender suffered a deep gash to his forehead that he had stitched up on the side of the pitch. He was then bandaged up and sent back into battle.

Article image:C. Ronaldo, Beckham, Ronaldo: 10 players who played through injuries after Havertz breaks finger

But after multiple headers the stitches became loose and blood poured down Butcher's face, eventually leading to one of the most iconic photos in English football history.

Matthijs De Ligt:

Matthijs De Ligt suffered his own Terry-Butcher-Style injury when he was also sent back onto the pitch with a bloody, bandaged head.

After falling to the floor during a corner in a Champions League defeat to Lyon, the Dutch defender was unfortunately landed on by teammate Alex Sandro. Sandro's studs scraped across De Ligt's chest and his shinpad clattered the defender in the head.

Article image:C. Ronaldo, Beckham, Ronaldo: 10 players who played through injuries after Havertz breaks finger

Despite the defenders face being drenched in blood, he was taken to the sidelines and cleaned up before being sent back out for the remainder of the match.

Stuart Pearce:

West Ham defender Stuart Pearce had already earned the nickname Psycho long before his match against Watford, but after attempting to run off a broken leg, he proved he truly deserved his moniker.

Article image:C. Ronaldo, Beckham, Ronaldo: 10 players who played through injuries after Havertz breaks finger

According to Harry Redknapp, Pearce refused to take his boots off at half-time as he was determined to get back on the pitch for the second half. Redknapp said:

"He put his boot back on and was ready to go"

"Even he couldn't run off such a bad injury"

Ronaldo:

Just hours before the 1998 World Cup final between Brazil and France, Ronaldo suffered a mysterious seizure that left him foaming at the mouth and struggling to breathe.

Article image:C. Ronaldo, Beckham, Ronaldo: 10 players who played through injuries after Havertz breaks finger

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The Brazilian legend was rushed to the hospital, but nothing serious was found by the doctors after hours of medical testing. Despite this, the medical team told him he should not be taking part in the match.

But somehow the 21-year-old Brazilian eventually found himself amongst the starting lineup and went on to play in the match.

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  2. Cristiano Ronaldo
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  4. Kai Havertz
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