5 world-class strikers who lost their touch after injuries

It is every footballer’s worst nightmare to see their career being brought to a halt by injuries. Quite simply, it is the worst thing that could happen to someone who has worked his entire life to be the best at something to be brought down by something he is not responsible for, or rather something that he has no control over.It has happened before and though we hope it doesn’t affect anyone else’s career going forward, chances are it will surely happen again. Strikers are very important to a team. They get the goals, and need to be sharp and alert all through so that they don’t miss any opportunity to give their team an advantage.With such extreme demands on strikers, that includes speed, strength, quick reflexes, and smart thinking, it is quite difficult for them to remain effective if they are hampered by an injury. Here’s a look at some genuine world class strikers whose careers took a turn for the worse after suffering horrible injuries:

#5 Michael Owen

The world’s most boring commentator was the once the most exciting striker in the world. Between 1998 and 2004, he was Liverpool’s leading goalscorer every season, this despite his time there being sprinkled with a number of injury breaks.

Owen is one of only 7 players to have scored 15 goals or more and is also the youngest player to score 100 goals in the Premier League. He broke records as fast as he would run onto a teammate’s through ball to score at Anfield.

His feats of goalscoring and the age at which he achieved them are unrivalled and are yet to be matched in a league as physical as the Premiership.

Owen joined Real Madrid in 2004, but after a largely unsuccessful spell, returned to England with Newcastle United. This move marked the beginning of the end for him. He suffered a broken metatarsal towards the end of 2005, an injury which kept him out for the rest of the season.

He worked his way back to full fitness only to suffer a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in the first match of the World Cup against Sweden, which kept him out of action for an entire year.

He eventually returned to action, but his susceptibility to injury had eclipsed normal levels. He left Newcastle for Manchester United on a free, but was restricted to appearances from the bench. His career drew to a finish in an unspectacular manner as he finished his playing days as part of a glamourless Stoke team.