Roberto Firmino was substituted in yesterday's match between Tottenham Hostspur and Liverpool due to an injury. At first glance, it looked like Firmino had been swiped in the face, but post-match images showed something much worse.
I've added an image of Firmino giving the Liverpool supporters a thumbs up as he came off the pitch because the real photo might not be suitable for people with a weak stomach. By doing this, this more pleasant image will become the featured image on this post.
Okay, on to the good stuff. If you want to see the real image then keep scrolling. You've been warned!
I'm not even sure what to say about this, but it looks terrible! How far has his finger gone into Firmino's eye at this point? Ouch. Thankfully, having had a checkup at the hospital, it has since been confirmed that Firmino has suffered an abrasion of the eye but it won't cause any lasting damage.
This got me thinking about other strange incidents, so I decided to go on a quest to surf the seas of the internet to find some of the most bizarre injuries that have stopped footballers from playing. And here they are.
#1. Not That Way
Brazilian footballer, Ramalho, was complaining of tooth ache so was sent to the dentist. It turned out that he was suffering from an infection, so the dentist prescribed him some medication to clear it up.
Thinking he'd soon be back to full health, Ramalho took the pill, but found himself bed-bound for the next three days. You see, this was no ordinary pill. In fact, it wasn't a pill to be swallowed at all. The dentist had prescribed him a suppository (administered anally) and rather than question why he was swallowing a massive pill, Ramalho administered it by mouth.
Not quite an injury, but I found this one too funny to not include. Can you imagine doing something like that? Romalho will be made fun of for the rest of his life for this.
#2. Lazy Bones
A broken toe doesn't sound too strange when it comes to football injuries. After all, the football boots hardly offer any protection at all and those studs sure do cause significant pain if you're unlucky enough to get caught under someone's step.
However, this broken toe was slightly different. In the build up to the 1990 World Cup, England star Bryan Robson was told that he'd need to go and get Paul Gascoigne out of bed. That doesn't sound like much of a task, but Gascoigne is a big character, and I can't imagine it was something he wanted to do.
Having tried to wake Gascoigne up in a normal way, Robson realised that he wasn't going to be able to do so. He then had the idea to pick the bed up and tip Gascoigne out instead. It worked, but the bed then fell onto Robson's foot and broke his toe.
#3. Eye Eye, Captain
Jari Litmanen was generally a pretty unlucky guy according to his former manager Roy Hodgson. He was once hit in the back of the head from a thunderbolt of a shot at close range during training which kept him from playing for an entire week.
However, that's not the weirdest thing to happen to Litmanen. At previous club, Malmo, he found himself stood next to the sporting director of the club who happened to open a soda can and the ring pull flew off, hitting him in the eye. It seems they could make a Final Destination movie about Jari Litmanen's life.
#4. 'Til Finger Do Us Part
It must be an incredible feeling to score a goal in front of your supporters. It would be a dream of mine to score at the Kop end of Anfield and sprint toward the frantic embrace of the crowd.
Paulo Diogo must have been flying high when he scored a goal against Schaffhausen. In celebration, he ran toward the crowd and somehow managed to get his wedding ring caught on a fence, which then tore off half of his finger. The match was halted while people looked for his missing finger, and to make things worse, the doctors were unable to reattach it. In fact, they had to amputate the remaining section of his finger.
The thing I found funny about this awful tale is that the referee gave Diogo a yellow card for his over the top celebration.
#5. Now That's Just Too Far
This final injury is probably the worst of the lot and you're almost guaranteed to agree with me if you're male. Emilio Hernandez was spending some quality time alone with his wife in 2011. I'm sure there's a rule about no funny business before a game, but fair play to the guy.
Anyway, during the dance of passion, Hernandez somehow managed to knock a cup of boiling water over. And yes, you guessed correctly; the scolding water landed directly onto his bare testicles. I was shocked to discover that this horrendous, eye-watering injury only kept Hernandez out of the game for two weeks. Someone grab an ice pack.
If you've experienced or heard of any weird sports injuries, I'd love to read about them in the comment section!
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