Summary
Abou Diaby leads the list of players who have had the most injury problems, missing more than 300 games and spending 1747 days out of the game.
Stevan Jovetic has also had his share of bad luck, missing 214 games and spending more than 1500 days injured.
Arjen Robben, noted for his scintillating wing play, spent 1507 days injured and missed 243 games, but he still established himself as one of the best wingers of his period.
Some players are simply immune to being injured. Take, for example, Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes, who has missed only two games (due to injury) since joining the Premier League. On the other side, some footballers become so prone to injury that their careers never live up to the expectations set for them.
It raises the question of whether the sport is mostly about skill or if it also involves a significant amount of luck. There is a long list of players, the most of whom are on this list, who have attempted to reach the pinnacle of the game only to be limited in their playing time due to injury.
The lads at ThePopFoot, paired with some crunched figures provided by Transfermarkt, have compiled a list of what can only be defined as the footballers with the worst luck when it comes to injuries. The top 11 as of September 2025 are listed here, with the amount of days and matches missed, as well as the number of injuries.
11Holger Badstuber
1305 days injured | 212 games missed | 22 different injuries
Holger Badstuber’s injury-ravaged career is far less well-known than some of the other high-profile individuals on the list. Despite this, he missed 212 games over his career on 22 separate times, totalling 1305 days away from the field.
Badstuber was living the dream as he progressed through the ranks at Bayern Munich beginning in 2005, but any progress was constantly halted by an injury of some kind. After playing for Schalke 04, VfB Stuttgart, and FC Luzern, he retired in 2022 at the age of 33. In his farewell post, he even mentioned his fitness issues.
“Of course I would have preferred less serious injuries. But I’m really pleased with what I’ve achieved. “I am grateful for everything.”
10Ronaldo Nazario
1324 days injured | 159 games missed | 8 different injuries
Two-time Ballon d’Or Winner Ronaldo is in eighth place. Known for schooling defenders left, right, and centre during his prime, the Brazilian is unquestionably one of the best attackers the world has ever seen. Interestingly, the enigmatic forward suffered only eight injuries during his football career, all of which were long-term and, as a result, more serious.
Most cruelly, only six minutes into his return from the first knee injury that had sidelined him for five months, the attacker experienced a devastating setback when his “knee-cap actually exploded and ended up in the middle of his thigh.” ” Consider this: what would he have accomplished if he hadn’t been injured?
9Franck Ribery
1363 days injured | 227 games missed | 72 different injures
Franck Ribery was sidelined for 1363 days after suffering 72 different injuries during his glittering career. He and Robben became one of the most dangerous wing pairs in the game throughout their respective Bayern Munich careers, so picture how much damage they could have done if the Frenchman’s ailments had healed.
As the wide man finally announced his retirement, he admitted that he had little choice because his long list of injuries had taken a toll on his then-39-year-old legs: “But today, despite the effort I have made in the last three months, the pain in my knee has only worsened, and the doctors are clear – I have no choice but to stop playing”.
8Thomas Vermaelen
1366 days injured | 267 games missed | 35 different injuries
Belgium international Thomas Vermaelen’s move from Arsenal to Barcelona aroused eyebrows – not because of a lack of talent, of course, but because of his unsettling injury record. Throughout his career, the former captain of the north London team missed 267 games due to 35 different injuries, totalling 1366 days on the sidelines.
Now the manager of the Belgium Under-20s, the centre-back will reflect on his playing days with regret, knowing that injuries may have prevented him from ever reaching his full potential. Nonetheless, he won titles in Holland, England, Spain, and Japan, indicating that his career was far from squandered. He retired in January 2022.
7Vincent Kompany
1419 days injured | 176 games missed | 31 different injuries
Despite his numerous achievements, the current Bayern Munich manager is well-known in Manchester for his exceptional leadership abilities. Pep Guardiola became more concerned about his track record of taking up knocks at the Etihad Stadium, with the most of his injuries being to the calf and shin.
Fortunately, his setbacks did not derail his career, as evidenced by the fact that he retired as a four-time Premier League winner. Nonetheless, Vincent Kompany did not appear in more than 20 league games throughout his final four seasons with the club, demonstrating how difficult it was for him to stay totally healthy at times.
6Marco Reus
1421 days injured | 172 games missed | 73 different injuries
Mr. Borussia Dortmund himself. Throughout his memorable playing career, the famous Marco Reus has sustained 73 separate ailments, rendering him unavailable for selection for 156 games and 1313 days in total. He is now finishing his career in the United States with the LA Galaxy, but his injury problems have followed him.
The German side, which has always been in the shadow of Bayern Munich, relied heavily on his ability to whip them into action when they needed it the most throughout his lengthy stint; in fact, without him, they looked like an altogether different creature. Given how frequently he was injured, this was not surprising. Perhaps his fitness difficulties influenced his decision to step down as club captain in 2023.
5Jack Wilshere
1470 days injured | 214 games missed | 18 different injuries
Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is an unsurprising presence on the list, having retired in the summer of 2020 at the age of thirty. The English midfielder, who is now the head coach of Arsenal’s Under-18s, is best known for his all-round engine room performance against Barcelona, which featured Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets.
At 19, the Stevenage-born ace was one of England’s teenage sensations, but his career, which was plagued by injuries, was cut tragically short as a result of his long history of injury difficulties. In just a few years, he went from being the poster boy of English football to becoming identified with the treatment table. What a horrible squandering of talent.
4Arjen Robben
1507 days injured | 243 games missed | 58 different injuries
Despite spending a total of 1507 days on the wrong side of the white line, the dazzling Dutchman still established himself as one of the finest wingers of the contemporary age following periods in England with Chelsea and in Germany with Bayern Munich. Arjen Robben’s trademark play became the inevitable cut inside and whip into the far top corner, which caused many defenders headaches. However, due to injury, Robben was severely limited.
Despite his fitness issues, he was nevertheless a valued member of some of Bayern Munich’s most formidable teams. During his 309-game career in Germany, the 96-cap Netherlands international scored 144 goals and assisted 101 times. He was also voted Man of the Match in the 2012/13 Champions League final after scoring the winner against Borussia Dortmund.
3Neymar Jr
1512 days injured | 277 games missed | 44 different injuries
Perhaps the most famous ‘what may have been’ story in modern football is that of Neymar, a former Brazilian wonderkid. That’s not to say he didn’t have a successful career; he was one-third of Barcelona’s greatest front three alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, and his 105 goals and 76 assists helped him win the La Liga and Champions League in 186 appearances.
Nonetheless, injuries played a significant role in his final decline and surprise inability to metamorphose from a humble Santos lad to a multi-Ballon d’Or winner.
With a total of 277 games lost since becoming one of the most recognisable faces in international football, this could have been the difference between the Brazilian being a world-class player and one of the best of all time. Still, at 33 years old, he is back in his birthplace earning maize for Santos, but injuries are getting far too prevalent as he gets older.
2Stevan Jovetic
1524 days injured | 214 games missed | 35 different injuries
The centre-forward, who previously played for Manchester City, has had far too many bad breaks. Stefan Jovetic, who was one of City’s most expensive strikers prior to Erling Haaland, can count himself unfortunate, as he has been plagued by injury throughout his career. Indeed, the 35-year-old considers himself fortunate to be still working.
After being released by Olympiacos, things appeared to be going downhill for Jovetic, but the Montenegro international is currently on the books of Omonia Nicosia, and he has suffered 35 injuries and spent 1524 days out of the game in all. At least he’s still playing in his 30s, albeit these dismal numbers are expected to rise in the final few years of his career.
1Abou Diaby
1747 days injured | 314 games missed | 21 different injuries
Former Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby, widely regarded as one of the unluckiest players in Premier League history, leads the list of injured players. Although he was initially projected to be Patrick Vieira’s deserving successor upon his arrival in north London, the Frenchman never quite lived up to the expectations. However, this was not always his fault.
Leading the way with 1747 days spent injured, which translates to 314 matches missed across 21 different injuries, the rangy centre midfielder, who previously played for Marseille, is the unluckiest of the bunch. Sunderland player Dan Smith’s career-altering challenge will never be forgotten, especially in the eyes of Arsene Wenger, who has threatened legal action:
“If you do it to a guy on the street, you’ll go to jail. This tackle had only one intention: to harm the plater, which was a career-threatening tackle. I’ll get legal guidance and see how far I can go.”
Rank
Name
Days out, wounded
Games missed.
Different injuries.
1.
Abou Diaby
1747
314
21
2.
Stevan Jovtic
1524
214
35
3.
Neymar Junior
1512
277
44
4.
Arjen Robben
1507
243
58
5.
Jack Wilshere
1470
214
18
6.
Marco Reus
1421
172
73
7.
Vincent Kompany
1419
176
31
8.
Tomas Vermaelen
1366
267
35
9.
Franck Ribery
1363
227
72
10.
Ronaldo Nazario
1324
159
8
11.
Holger Badstuber
1305
212
22
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