9 Footballers With The Worst Injury Records In Premier League History (Ranked) | OneFootball

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Football is one of the most physical contact sports in the world, meaning injuries are often part and parcel of the game. For players at the top of the sport, there can be nothing more frustrating than a spell on the sidelines, unable to take to the pitch due to constant niggles and pains.

From title-winning captains to world-beating wonderkids, there have been several players in England’s top division blighted by the sad state of injury, spending large spells of their career on the treatment table.

So, join GIVEMESPORT as we take a look at nine of the most unfortunate players in Premier League history, who have all had their time in the top flight significantly disrupted by injury.

9 Andy Carroll

Having impressed with boyhood club Newcastle United as a youngster, Andy Carroll moved to Liverpool in January 2011 for a then British-record £35 million, but the striker was unable to rediscover his best form on Merseyside due to a string of injury problems.

After just 18 months at the Reds, Carroll was deemed surplus to requirements as he moved to West Ham United, where he would quickly become a regular on the treatment table.

In seven seasons at the club, the former England international would make over 20 Premier League appearances just twice, with injuries continuing to prevent the striker from reaching his full potential.

Now in the twilight of his career, the 34-year-old striker played 30 Championship games for Reading last campaign - the most he’s managed in a single league season since 2011/12.

8 Ledley King

Despite making over 300 appearances for Tottenham during a 13-year spell with the club, Ledley King was a player who struggled with chronic knee problems throughout his career.

A lack of cartilage meant the highly-regarded defender often had to swap sessions on the training pitch for tailored workouts in the gym - giving himself the best chance of staying fit between matches.

Thierry Henry as the toughest opponent he faced in the Premier League, King’s growing reputation as one of the top centre-backs of his generation was unfortunately hindered by his relentless struggle with injury.

7 Vincent Kompany

The former Belgian international started his career at Anderlecht, before moving to Hamburg in 2006 as a highly sought-after 20-year-old.

However, his debut campaign in Germany was marred by a serious achilles injury, restricting Kompany to just six starts throughout the entire season.

After moving to Manchester City in 2008 and becoming club captain just a few years later, Kompany established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the world.

Despite his world-class performances in both the Premier League and Champions League, injuries were never too far from the surface for the City legend.

Those injury problems became more frequent in the second half of his career at the Etihad, with a series of recurring muscular strains keeping him sidelined for prolonged spells between 2015 and 2019.

6 Daniel Sturridge

Having amassed over 200 Premier League appearances for the likes of Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool, Daniel Sturridge enjoyed a good career in the English top flight.

However, it could have been so much more had the striker’s time at Liverpool not been blighted by several niggling injuries.

After scoring 21 goals in just 29 league matches in 2013/14 (via Transfermarkt) as the Reds narrowly missed out on the title, Sturridge was never able to recapture his best form consistently.

The former England international would fail to record more than 20 Premier League appearances in a single season from that point on, with injury taking its toll on his failing body.

5 Owen Hargreaves

Having picked up four Bundesliga titles and a Champions League trophy during his time with Bayern Munich, Owen Hargreaves was signed by Manchester United in 2007.

The Canadian-born England international came to the Premier League with a glowing reputation, but injuries soon hampered his progress at the Old Trafford club.

He would make 34 appearances in all competitions during a solid enough debut campaign as United won a Premier League and Champions League double, however, his career quickly went downhill after discovering he had patellar tendonitis in 2008.

Hargreaves played just four times across the next three seasons, before joining rivals Man City in 2011 - where he made one further league appearance before retiring.

4 Abou Diaby

The powerful box-to-box midfielder drew plenty of comparisons to Patrick Vieira during the early stages of his Arsenal career after moving to North London in January 2006.

Despite suffering a severe ankle fracture in May that year, Diaby’s reputation continued to grow as impressive campaigns in 2008/09 and 2009/10 saw many predict the Frenchman to become a key figure for Arsenal in years to come.

Unfortunately for Diaby, that never materialised, with a host of long-term injury problems restricting the midfielder to just 32 Premier League appearances in the next five seasons.

The club eventually released the former France international in 2015, but Diaby only managed six appearances in his homeland with Marseille before retiring in 2019 aged 32.

3 Jack Rodwell

A product of Everton’s youth system, Jack Rodwell enjoyed a successful start to his career, making over 100 appearances for the Toffees’ first team by the age of 21.

That earned the midfielder a £12 million move to Man City, where he played just 25 times in two seasons, suffering a host of hamstring problems.

Many fans had expected Rodwell to flourish at the Etihad and subsequently represent England at the 2014 World Cup, but those aspirations quickly evaporated given his injury woes.

A four-year stint at Sunderland did little to reignite the former England international’s faltering career before injury-disrupted spells in the Championship with Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield United saw Rodwell move to the Australian A-League in 2021.

2 Darren Anderton

Despite making over 300 Premier League appearances for Tottenham and Birmingham City during his time in the top flight, Darren Anderton is a player best remembered for his constant struggles with injury.

The winger - who played 30 times for England between 1994 and 2001 - was given the infamous nickname of “sicknote” having endured persistent problems throughout his career.

It’s a nickname Anderton himself remains unhappy with, having been unable to shed the injury-prone tag despite averaging over 24 appearances a season during his time in the Premier League.

1 Jack Wilshere

Taking the top spot is Jack Wilshere - one of the most technically gifted English players of his generation, but one who sadly saw his career derailed by injury.

The former Arsenal midfielder made his mark on the world stage in 2011 with a dazzling display against a star-studded Barcelona in the Champions League at the age of just 19.

From that breakthrough season, however, Wilshere failed to live up to his true potential, with a serious ankle injury ruling him out for the entirety of the 2011/12 campaign.

Persistent knee and ankle problems continued to hamper Wilshere’s development as the midfielder went under the knife on several occasions, further diminishing his physical attributes.

Wilshere failed to record more than 25 league appearances in his last six seasons at Arsenal, before injury-ravaged spells at Bournemouth, West Ham and Danish side AFG saw the former wonderkid retire from the sport in 2022, aged just 30.