Javier Zanetti?
Rarely injured players and their obvious value
- Thread starter Scandi Red
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
I think it's a bit much to call it an attribute. A lot of it is luck-based. You could be perfectly prepared athletically and then someone goes in two-footed and fecks your leg up out of your control. Van Dijk for example has been durable but Pickford had other ideas.
Very surprising to see post Colitis Fletcher up there in that list. Still such a shame that happened to him, he had turned into an absolutely immense player right before that happened. People forget he was in the team of the year for 2010.
I don't see this thread as a slight to those who are unfortunate with injuries but rather a tribute to those who manage to practically never miss a game because of pulled muscles, fatigue, knocks or illnesses. I would not say that this is based on luck (genetics do play a part, but that is true for most things).
I also think that most people are reasonable enough to acknowledge someone clocking in 10 years of always being fit followed by a serious injury that they never fully recover from. Of course these players should count as durable too.
Salah. Plays every week it seems.
Didn't Saka break the Arsenal record for consecutive league starts recently?
Irwin. Had a horrible injury in 97-98 but apart from that i rarely remember him being injured and had close to a thousand professional games. Mr. reliable.
Lampard was another who had ridiculous stats. Never injured.
Lampard was another who had ridiculous stats. Never injured.
Yes, 83 consecutive PL appearances. Xhaka had 1 or 2 injuries but was also extremely reliable fitness wise.
Several England managers?
Had a small(ish) injury earlier this season but yeah, he's been used like a bar of soap under Arteta.
Azpilicueta was very rarely injured for Chelsea. Only in the last couple of seasons did he miss a handful of games to injuries or illness but the first 8 years he was at the club he wasn't injured for a single match. That's especially crazy when you consider he'd just missed a full seasons worth of games to an ACL injury the year before he joined us and I remember some people being worried about his injury history when we were about to sign him.
From the start of 15/16 season to the end of the 19/20 season Azpilicueta played 16584 minutes out of 17100 possible in the EPL for us, meaning over a 5 season period he only missed out on a few games worth of minutes to being rested or subbed off before the 90th minute and every other game he played from start to finish. He also started and played the full 90 minutes in almost all of our cup games too.
From the start of 15/16 season to the end of the 19/20 season Azpilicueta played 16584 minutes out of 17100 possible in the EPL for us, meaning over a 5 season period he only missed out on a few games worth of minutes to being rested or subbed off before the 90th minute and every other game he played from start to finish. He also started and played the full 90 minutes in almost all of our cup games too.
Friedel never missed a game in 2004-2012 period and he played for three different clubs.
also, Hamsik's stats when he was at Napoli are crazy. 4 seasons in which he played all 38 games, 4 in which he played 37 games, 2 in which he played 35 games. that's what you call being available.
also, Hamsik's stats when he was at Napoli are crazy. 4 seasons in which he played all 38 games, 4 in which he played 37 games, 2 in which he played 35 games. that's what you call being available.
Anthony Martial
Can’t believe nobody mentioned Fred yet. Him and Bruno both proof that avoiding injury doesn’t have to mean avoiding hard work.
I know he was already mentioned, but: https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/inaki-williams/verletzungen/spieler/255508
Insanity!
Insanity!
Bruno Fernandes' is actually quite ridiculous, when you look at it like this: https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/bruno-fernandes/verletzungen/spieler/240306
The only actual injury there is for two games. The other two are for flu/feeling unwell.
None of the other names mentioned in this thread have a Transfermarkt page looking that clean.
The only actual injury there is for two games. The other two are for flu/feeling unwell.
None of the other names mentioned in this thread have a Transfermarkt page looking that clean.
I don't get people mentioning Messi.
Yeah, not injury prone at Neymar level, but four or five seasons of his career were compromised by injuries(most still world class, but should be even better).
Yeah, not injury prone at Neymar level, but four or five seasons of his career were compromised by injuries(most still world class, but should be even better).
That always frustrated me in 2014 when United were apparently close to signing Arturo Vidal but pulled out because they were worried about his knee. Then he played an average of 42 games a year for the next 8 seasons, winning 6 league titles across three leagues. Exact sort of player we needed too then.
Who ? Which England managers played Barry over Carrick ?
Lampard and Gerrard got (wrongly) played over him.
The irony here is that he was very injury-prone the season before he went almost 7 years playing every game without even getting a cold!
Messi and Ronaldo.
Extremely impressive numbers from Lampard and Williams, I thought Javier Zanetti was the ultimate iron man of the modern game but they both surpass him (JZ4 had a streak of 137 in Serie A, 162 in all competitions).
Anyway, all of them pale in comparison to Dino Zoff.
I know, a keeper and not an outfield player, in a different era, with 16-18 teams leagues and less frequent cup games, less bookings, different goal-keeping style, less physicality inside the box...
(but also much less science applied to training, physio and dietary regimes)
Anyway, the dude went to play for Juventus at 30 years old and retired there at 41, without failing once to show up to defend their goal in Serie A.
That's 330 league games over 11 seasons.
Add to that streak the last 2 games of his last season with Napoli before going to Juve, and you get what I believe is a world record of 332 consecutive league games.
Before that two farewell games with Napoli, he was sidelined for 7 games as he suffered a malleolus fracture in training.
What's even more crazy, that injury had interrupted what was already a record streak of 245 consecutive league games with Mantova and Napoli.
He was truly built different.
Anyway, all of them pale in comparison to Dino Zoff.
I know, a keeper and not an outfield player, in a different era, with 16-18 teams leagues and less frequent cup games, less bookings, different goal-keeping style, less physicality inside the box...
(but also much less science applied to training, physio and dietary regimes)
Anyway, the dude went to play for Juventus at 30 years old and retired there at 41, without failing once to show up to defend their goal in Serie A.
That's 330 league games over 11 seasons.
Add to that streak the last 2 games of his last season with Napoli before going to Juve, and you get what I believe is a world record of 332 consecutive league games.
Before that two farewell games with Napoli, he was sidelined for 7 games as he suffered a malleolus fracture in training.
What's even more crazy, that injury had interrupted what was already a record streak of 245 consecutive league games with Mantova and Napoli.
He was truly built different.
He was injured at the end of another season and arguably that cost us the Europa league.
Shearer was an odd one, pretty much missing two full seasons with cruciates, but then hardly any others of note in a c17 year career.
Just the one. And this was the same manager who selected Lescott ahead of Ferdinand for the Euro 2012 squad, so we probably shouldn't be taking their decision making as gospel. And yet @Jeppers7 does for some reason.
There’s an anti-Bruno Youtuber who says that the guy is like a cockroachBruno Fernandes' is actually quite ridiculous, when you look at it like this: https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/bruno-fernandes/verletzungen/spieler/240306
The only actual injury there is for two games. The other two are for flu/feeling unwell.
None of the other names mentioned in this thread have a Transfermarkt page looking that clean.
I remember in his early days when he always made a difference. Whenever he was down injured I would panic (especially as we had lost McTominay, Pogba, Rashford and Martial to injury at times when they were hitting form). But credit to him, he never gets injured or tired for that matter. His genetics must be unreal.
Absolutely. Sorely missed for 2009 Rome final and in big games I felt he got the better of the likes of Cesc, Gerrard and Lampard. Scored in big games too. He was really our driving force in midfield. During that run of consecutive games for WBA he played through injury also. For one game (I can’t remember which one) he played with a broken foot or something like that and could barely put weight on it. Absolute warrior Fletch was.
Yeah first player that comes to mind. And we sold him for less than 10m EUR. So much for "value".
Fred was a fantastic squad player.
Wonder how much his build helps. He’s basically built like an endurance marathon runnerThere’s an anti-Bruno Youtuber who says that the guy is like a cockroach
I remember in his early days when he always made a difference. Whenever he was down injured I would panic (especially as we had lost McTominay, Pogba, Rashford and Martial to injury at times when they were hitting form). But credit to him, he never gets injured or tired for that matter. His genetics must be unreal.