The Unfortunate Goalkeepers Suffering Injuries in the Crucial Moments

 

A number of goalkeepers at the top level have been unfortunate, as they suffered serious injuries in the crucial moments during their team’s campaign.

Football today has been developing rather out of proportion, with more and more intense games, congested fixtures, and unnecessary extended tournaments. The newly-formatted continental competition in Europe, the new-ish FIFA Intercontinental Cup, and the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup have provided more challenges for the teams and players ahead. Their wellness seems to have been ignored for the sake of generating more revenues, due to the pressure from sponsors or other third parties. No wonder that the number of injured players could potentially rise in the near future.

For a goalkeeper, suffering serious injuries could be a horror, not for his own but also for his team. Taking a knock and being sidelined for months is already devastating. Let alone suffering the injuries in the crucial moment during their team’s campaign. They would have to miss the big opportunity to become the star or, even worse, lose their spot in the team’s lineup permanently and fall down in the pecking order. A shotstopper is somehow still the only position with a limited chance to play than the outfield players.

The most recent example is Marc Ter-Stegen, who was badly injured in a La Liga match last weekend. He is expected to be ruled out for months, probably till the end of the season. Such is quite a misfortune, as Barcelona is currently at the top of the table. The former Gladbach has also been promoted to the number one shot stopper in the Germany national team following Manuel Neuer’s retirement from the international stage. He has been waiting for this chance for years. Yet, now injury has put his dream in doubt again.

In the past, there have been several goalies who had to go through such a woeful situation. Here are those unfortunate names.

Roberto Abbondanzieri (2006 World Cup)

The former Boca Juniors and Getafe man was Argentina’s first choice after waiting for a while. Despite being well-known as the key man in Boca Juniors’ success in winning Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup 2000 and 2003, he only received his national team call-up in 2004.

The goalie nicknamed Pato was meant to be the protagonist in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. It was his biggest stage in his career, and he could potentially bring his nation to the semifinals. Albiceleste was tipped to be the favorite. He helped them go through the quarterfinal by making crucial saves against the Netherlands in the group stage and Mexico in the round of 16. In the round of 8, they had to face off the host, Germany. Argentina was already on the lead, and Pato also contributed to keeping Jurgen Klinsmann’s men at bay. Unfortunately, the 34-year-old shotstopper took a knock and was unable to continue. Jose Pekerman’s men shortly conceded and eventually lost on penalties. Things might have been different if Pato had remained between the sticks.

Abbondanzieri was no longer part of Argentina’s squad when Alfio Basile’s reign ended after their loss in the Copa America 2007 final. Basile’s successor, Diego Maradona, preferred younger names than the 36-year-old Pato in the squad.

Individual awards	Notable Silverwares
-South American Best Goalkeeper in 2003 -Copa Sundamericana Best Goalkeeper 2005 -Copa Sundamericana Best player in 2005 Final -La Liga Best Goalie in 2007	-Copa Libertadores 4x (3 with Boca Juniors, 1 with Internacional) -Copa Sundamericana 2x (Boca Juniors) -Copa CONMEBOL (equal to UEFA Cup, the predecessor of Copa Sundamericana) in 1995 (Rosario Central) -Intercontinental Cup 2x (Boca Juniors)

René Adler (2010)

Before the emergence of Manuel Neuer, Germany had René Adler. He already became the main goalkeeper in Die Mannschaft after EURO 2008. The former Bayer Leverkusen man was the first choice between the sticks during the 2010 FIFAWorld Cup qualifiers with five appearances. Unfortunately, Adler suffered a rib injury in May 2010, or just one month before the final round. He failed to make his debut in the major tournament and eventually lost his expected spot as Neuer cemented his place following his impressive form in South Africa. The Best Bundesliga goalkeeper in 2008 did return to Die Mannschaft in 2013 but was no longer considered one of the best three for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Overall, Adler only earned 12 caps in the international games.

Andry Lunin (2023/24)

The 25-year-old goalkeeper had his expected moment in the 2023/24 campaign. Following Thibault Cortois’ long-term injury and Kepa Arrizabalaga’s knock in the UCL’s group stage against Sporting Braga in October last year, Lunin was promoted as the first team’s line-up. The Ukrainian international did not disappoint the fans. In fact, the former Zorya Luhansk man went on making impressive saves, especially at the knockout stage against RB Leipzig and the reigning champions, Manchester City. He even denied two shots on penalties from Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic.

However, Lunin ran out of luck as the season reached the latter stages. He suffered a flu, which kept me out of the Wembley final. His form even declined afterwards. In EURO 2024, Lunin was even rated the worst goalkeeper in the competition as he conceded three times against Romania, leading to their 3-0 loss at the opener and eventual elimination. He lost his place for the remaining two games, in which Ukraine was unbeaten. His stellar season appears to be temporary as he returns to the bench again in the 2024/25 campaign.

Individual awards	Notable Silverwares
- 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup Golden Glove.	- La Liga 2024 - UCL 2022, 2024 - FIFA Club World Cup 2022

Oscar Ustari (2008 Olympics)

Ustari was a prospective goalkeeper for Argentina. He was meant to have his first appearance on the big stage in Beijing alongside Lionel Messi and Juan Roman Riquelme. Albiceleste was the favourite to defend their gold medal at that time. 

The goalie who also helped his country win the 2005 FIFA U20 World Cup with Messi and Pablo Zabaleta started off his campaign well by featuring in the first two games at the group stage when they crushed Ivory Coast and Australia. He was sidelined in the third game versus Serbia and got a nod for the quarterfinal match against the Netherlands. Sadly, he had to leave the pitch due to his injury, which ruled him out for eight months. His place was taken over by Sergio Romero, who then established himself as the mainstay till the senior level, including in the 2014 FIFA World Cup when Argentina reached their first final in 24 years. Meanwhile, Ustari never had a chance to play in the international tournament again. The current reserved Inter Miami goalie was only capped twice. 

Individual awards	Notable Silverwares
- Liga MX All Stars 2022	- Liga MX Apertura 2022 - FIFA U20 World Cup 2005 - Gold Medal in Beijing 2008 Olympics

Santiago Canizares (2002)

The former Valencia star from the late 1990s until the late 2000s reached the peak of his career in the early 2000s as he helped Los Ches progress to the Champions League final consecutively in 2000 and 2001. Canizares had been waiting for his moments as the mainstay in La Furia Roja in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He had made three appearances in EURO 2000, thanks to Jose Molina's dismal form at the opener, leading to their unexpected defeat to Norway. The former Real Madrid man did appear in the 1994 World Cup, but only in the opener against South Korea as Andoni Zubizarreta’s understudy. The Barcelona shot stopper was suspended at that time.

Unfortunately, Canizares was forced to miss out on Japan-Korea 2002 due to the incident with the aftershave bottle, which led to a severe tendon injury. His place was eventually overtaken by Iker Casillas, who established himself as the skipper when Spain entered the golden era with a World Cup and EURO victory, while Canizares returned to his fate as an understudy till he retired from international football in 2006.

Individual awards	Notable Silverwares
- La Liga Best Goalie 4x - UEFA Team of the Year 2001	- La Liga 4x (2x with Valencia, 2x with Real Madrid) - UCL 1998 (Real Madrid) - Copa del Rey 1999 (Valencia) - UEFA Cup and Super Cup 2004 (Valencia) - UCL Runners-up 2000 & 2001 (Valencia)

Piet Schrijvers (1978 FIFA World Cup)

The tale of Piet Schrijvers was probably one of the most unfortunate ones. He was expected to be the first choice in the Netherlands for the 1974 FIFA World Cup campaign, as the former Ajax man was the mainstay in the qualifiers. Yet the new boss who was hired before the final round, Rinus Michels, opted for the inexperienced Jan Jongbloed instead. Schrijvers was benched throughout the tournament.

In the following World Cup edition, it was even more dramatic. Schrijvers did not start the campaign at the first group stage. Yet the wind was on their side in the second group stage. Jongbloed’s poor form in their last game of the preliminary round versus Scotland led to their humiliating loss to the Tartan Army.

Schrijvers was given the spot while De Oranje ran rampant against Austria and was held in a 2-2 draw versus West Germany. He was also named in the line-up while taking on Italy in the decisive game for their chance to reach the second World Cup final consecutively. However, the former Ajax goaliesuffered an injury during the game and lost his place in the final, in which Jan Jongbloed featured again.

He eventually had his opportunity to be the mainstay in EURO 1980. Yet the Netherlands were no longer the team they once were and failed to go through.

Individual awards	Notable Silverwares
	- Eredivisie titles 5x