Which Stars Will Miss The World Cup With Injury? |
| By: Source: Goal Published: 6/10/2010 5:59:56 AM ( PST ) |
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Michael Ballack
Germany
 Age: 33
Position: Central midfielder
Club: Chelsea
Injury: Damaged ligaments to his right ankle during Chelsea's FA Cup final win over Portsmouth in mid-May.
Prognosis: Ballack will miss the entire World Cup as he recovers from this injury.
Arjen Robben
Netherlands
 Age: 26
Position: Winger
Club: Bayern Munich
Injury: Pulled his hamstring in the final minutes of the friendly win over Hungary.
Prognosis: It has been confirmed that Robben will miss his country's opening game against Denmark. The aim for the Dutch team now is to get him fit to play a part at the World Cup.
John Obi-Mikel
Nigeria
 Age: 23
Position: Midfielder
Club: Chelsea
Injury: Failed to make a full recovery after undergoing minor knee surgery in early May.
Prognosis: Mikel will not participate in the World Cup after Nigeria team officials confirmed that the midfielder has been dropped from the squad to avoid long-term problems to his knee.
Nani
Portugal
 Age: 23
Position: Winger
Club: Manchester United
Injury: Injured his left clavicle during training with Portugal on June 7th.
Prognosis: Officially out of the tournament. The United ace will be replaced by Benfica utility man Ruben Amorim.
Andres Iniesta
Spain
 Age: 26
Position: Midfielder
Club: Barcelona
Injury: Aggravated his right thigh muscle injury during Spain's friendly win against Poland.
Prognosis: Spain's medical team has confirmed he is doubtful for the group opener against Switzerland.
Alexander Frei
Switzerland
 Age: 30
Position: Striker
Club: FC Basel
Injury: Picked up a blow to his ankle in Switzerland's last training session before departure to South Africa.
Prognosis: Swiss coach Ottmar Hitzfield has confirmed Frei will miss the opening game against Spain. Hopeful of return to face Chile in second match.
Didier Drogba
Ivory Coast
 Age: 32
Position: Striker
Club: Chelsea
Injury: Fractured his right elbow during Ivory Coast's friendly win over Japan.
Prognosis: The player himself, and Kolo Toure, were alleged to have said that he would miss out. But days later it transpired that Didier had undergone surgery and will travel to South Africa to play.
Rio Ferdinand
England
 Age: 32
Position: Centre-back
Club: Manchester United
Injury: Picked up a knock on his knee in a collision with Emile Heskey during training.
Prognosis: Initial reports indicated ligament damage. These were later confirmed and Rio, on crutches, is out of the World Cup.
Andrea Pirlo
AC Milan
 Age: 31
Position: Midfielder
Club: AC Milan
Injury: An ankle injury in Italy's 2-1 loss to Mexico in a friendly could ruin the AC Milan man's World Cup.
Prognosis: Unknown at this point. The influential midfielder returned to Milan for medical tests, the outcome of which is not yet known.
Michael Essien
Ghana
 Age: 27
Position: Central midfielder
Club: Chelsea
Injury: Recurring problem with left knee ligaments sustained while on international duty with Ghana on January 2010.
Prognosis: Essien will miss the entire World Cup as he recovers from this injury.
Oscar Cardozo
Paraguay
 Age: 27
Position: Striker
Club: Benfica
Injury: Struggling to reach full fitness after playing with an ankle injury for the last four games of the Portuguese league campaign.
Prognosis: Still unknown whether he will be fully fit for the World Cup but his agent has indicated that it's unlikely he will be.
Diego Milito
Argentina
 Age: 30
Position: Striker
Club: Inter
Injury: Light ankle sprain during training.
Prognosis: No time has been set as to when he will be able to return to training, but 'El Principe' is expected to recover quickly as it was only a minor injury.
Julio Cesar
Brazil
 Age: 30
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Inter
Injury: Limped out of the friendly win over Zimbabwe with a back problem.
Prognosis: Julio Cesar has resumed light training. He is expected to be fit for the opening game against North Korea.
Mauro Camoranesi
Italy
 Age: 33
Position: Midfielder
Club: Juventus
Injury: Sprained meniscus in his right knee which he sustained during training.
Prognosis: 'Camo' returned to normal training. Reports suggest he will be fit for Italy's opener against Paraguay.
Humberto Suazo
Chile
 Age: 29
Position: Striker
Club: Monterrey
Injury: Tore his hamstring during friendly encounter against Israel.
Prognosis: 'Chupete' is expected to miss the World Cup. He is currently taking medication that may be deemed illegal and could be banned from the tournament.
Heiko Westermann
Germany
 Age: 26
Position: Defender/Midfielder
Club: Schalke
Injury: Recurring knee problem after undergoing surgery in January.
Prognosis: Westermann will miss the entire World Cup as he recovers from this injury.
Jose Bosingwa
Portugal
 Age: 27
Position: Defender
Club: Chelsea
Injury: The flaring-up of a persistent knee problem in March necessitated immediate surgery.
Prognosis: Due to his period of recovery after his knee operation, Bosingwa missed the end of the domestic season and will also miss the entire World Cup.
Wilson Palacios
Honduras
 Age: 25
Position: Midfielder
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Injury: Shin damage sustained during a 3-0 friendly defeat to Romania on June 5th.
Prognosis: The Honduras team medical staff have yet to confirm the status of Palacios.
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