Swansea City will always rue Birmingham City twist that robbed cult-hero of EPL legacy: View | OneFootball

Ferrie Bodde looked destined for the top-flight before injury struck against Birmingham City in November 2008

Swansea City have had a number of supremely talented players on their books over the years, and while he never played in the Premier League like many of the club's best players did, you can add Ferrie Bodde to that list.

The Dutchman, affectionately nicknamed 'The Evil Genius' thanks to both his talent and the aggression he showed on the pitch, was a Swansea player between 2007 and 2012, but his career all but came to an end in the club's early days as a Championship side back in November 2008.

Bodde probably won't be a household name to British football fans like some of Swansea's best players have been over the years, but had it not been for injury, the Dutchman would have almost certainly become one.

Ferrie Bodde was an incredible signing for Swansea City

Midfielder Bodde joined Swansea in the summer of 2007 from ADO Den Haag, with the League One club paying just £50,000, rising to £85,000 after they won promotion, with the Dutch club having a 50% sell-on clause.

It became clear early on that Bodde was far too good for League One, with his passing range, defensive abilities and eye for a goal making him a fan favourite.

He certainly lived up to his evil genius moniker too, receiving two red cards in his debut season in English football, one for a stamp and one for a headbutt, but his aggression only helped endear himself to the Jack Army even further.

Swansea would eventually win the League One title, sealing promotion to the Championship, and Bodde capped an impressive debut season in south Wales by being named in the 2007/08 PFA League One Team of the Year.

It looked as if his time as a Swansea player would end that summer, with transfer interest from Derby County, who had just been relegated from the Premier League, but the club held firm and kept hold of their prized possession.

The Rams weren't the only side who were interested in the Dutchman, with Premier League sides like Wigan, Bolton, Middlesbrough, West Brom and Fulham all keen on his signature, showing just how good he had been in League One.

Unsurprisingly, Bodde had no difficulties in adapting to the Championship, and helped Swansea get off to an impressive start to life in the second tier under Roberto Martinez.

So much so that Bodde was reportedly on the fringes of the Dutch national team, unheard of for a player who had just been promoted to the Championship from League One.

A long-range goal against Preston was perhaps his most impressive moment in a Swansea shirt, but disaster was just around the corner, and ultimately cost him his career.

Swansea City will forever rue Ferrie Bodde's injury against Birmingham City

Swansea faced Championship high-flyers Birmingham City at the Liberty Stadium in November 2008, and with the Swans leading 2-1 with less than 20 minutes left, it looked set to be a famous night for the newly-promoted side.

A late Kevin Phillips brace would eventually rescue a win for the Blues, but the game will always be remembered for Bodde's injury.

As he attempted to usher the ball out of play, an innocuous challenge from Seb Larsson sent Bodde to the floor, and he suffered a serious knee injury, one he would never truly recover from.

He was ruled out for ten months, returning under Paulo Sousa during the 2009/10 campaign, but just three games into his return he suffered another injury, ruling him out for five months.

Things didn't get much better when he returned, and Bodde suffered yet another injury in his first game back against Peterborough United, needing surgery, which subsequently ruled him out for the entirety of the 2010/11 season, meaning he didn't play any part in the club's promotion to the Premier League.

However, Brendan Rogers had seen enough from the Dutchman in training and offered him a new deal in the summer of 2011 in the hope that he could regain fitness and play a part for the club in the top-flight.

It spoke volumes of just how highly-rated Bodde was that he was given a new deal despite being injured for the best part of three years, but it was more of the same during the 2011/12 season, and he was carried off after suffering a knee injury just two minutes into a reserve game against Arsenal.

That was to prove his final outing in a Swansea shirt, and he left the club in the summer of 2012, but in reality, his time at the club had come to an end three-and-half years before.

Had Bodde stayed fit there's no doubt that he'd have become a key player for the club in the Premier League, such was his ability, with then Chairman Huw Jenkins saying: “He would have been one of the best players in the Championship and probably one of the best in the Premier League barring the injuries." Some praise indeed, and shows just how talented the Dutchman was.

After leaving Swansea, the midfielder trained with both Ado Den Haag and Wigan Athletic, where former Swansea boss Roberto Martinez was manager, but he was unable to earn a contract and had to shelve plans to join Dutch amateur outfit Haaglandia in 2013 due to injury, subsequently retiring.

His injury woes were put in perspective in 2014 when he was placed in a coma after fighting a serious lung infection, but thankfully he pulled through, and has begun a coaching career in his homeland since retirement.

Swansea enjoyed some great years in the Premier League, but it's hard not to think about what could have been had they had a fit Bodde at their disposal, and that fateful November Friday night against Birmingham City won't be forgotten in a hurry.