DAVE BEASANT was famously injured by a bottle of salad cream. David Batty by a tangle with his daughter's tricycle.
Rio Ferdinand even managed to strain knee ligaments by spending too many hours playing Pro Evo on his PlayStation.
Now, thanks to Leyton Orient midfielder Michael Collins, there's a new entry in the world of ridiculous footballing death traps.
Quizzed on the 30-year-old's absence from last weekend's line-up away at Wycombe, O's boss Andy Edwards revealed that Collins had stepped off the team bus – and straight into a pothole!
“It was one of those absolute freak events,” recalls Collins, who joined the O's in October after five months without a club.
“I was getting off the bus, in my own little world. Next thing I knew I'd put my left foot straight in a pothole and rocked my ankle.
“To be honest, I knew straight away I was going to be out of action. I was a bit embarrasse,d so I tried to just strut it out and pretend as if nothing had happened. But, as soon as I got in the stadium, I was like ‘Oh my God, that's so painful'.
“I tried to do the warm-up but it was obvious I was done. It was only going to keep stiffening up and it wasn't fair on the other lads to try and run it off.
“It's funny now, but at the time I was fuming. You can accept getting hurt in training or taking a kick during the game, but something like that is so unexpected. My head had gone, so it was probably best I didn't play!” Not that Collins' predicament garnered any sympathy from his team-mates.
“Yeah, I've had all the usual stick,” he adds. “They've accused me of trying to get Christmas off, things like that.
“Bu,t if I was, I didn't do a very good job because I was fit for Boxing Day!
“And, whenever we get off the bus, there's always this big camera. I don't know where the footage gets used, but the lads were saying ‘They've definitely caught that'. Somewhere, there's somebody laughing at me falling off the bus.”
Thankfully there's no long-term damage and Collins can now focus on helping Orient's relegation battle. “Joking aside, it could have been worse,” he says. “Next time, I'll just have to watch where I'm putting my foot!”
Freakiest injuries!
Dave Beasant – salad cream
Butter-fingered ex-England keeper Beasant dropped a bottle of salad cream, tried to cushion it with his foot and ended up tearing a tendon in his big toe. He was out for two months.
David Batty – tricycle
Already nursing ruptured knee ligaments, Batty's comeback was put on ice when his two-year-old daughter peddled her tricycle into his ankle.
Paulo Diogo – fence
In 2004, Swiss midfielder Diogo celebrated a goal for Servette by jumping on to a perimeter fence. When he jumped off, his wedding ring caught in the chain links, tearing off his finger. He was booked for excessive celebration.
