World Football's Top 25 Injured Players and When They'll Be Back

Injuries are commonplace in the world of football, and if your club in unfortunate enough to have players that pick up knocks frequently, it can seriously hamper a season's hopes.

Ankles, knees and leg muscles are the most common source of problems for footballers, and here we'll look at some of the current bench warmers that have been given their rest orders.

Nemanja Vidic

Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic was injured during a Champions League game against FC Basel.

The Serbian ruptured a cruciate ligament is his knee, and his December X-ray suggested that he would be out until September.

David Villa

Barcelona striker David Villa snapped his shin bone playing in a Club World Cup game against Al-Sadd in December.

The medical analysis confirmed a fractured left tibia with a layoff of four-to-six months, putting his return between April and June.

Villa is hopeful of making Spain's Euro 2012 squad.

Lucas Leiva

Another late 2011 injury saw Liverpool's Lucas Leiva stretchered off in a Carling Cup match against Chelsea.

Scans revealed that Lucas had damaged his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, which means he will miss the remainder of Liverpool's 2011-12 season.

Fabio Coentrao

Real Madrid have been a little coy in revealing the damage sustained by Coentrao in his international match for Portugal.

Reports suggest the defender could face three weeks or more on the sidelines due to a groin problem.

Ever Banega

Valencia's Ever Banega suffered a bizarre injury when his car rolled backwards and trapped his foot at a petrol station.

Banega had forgotten to put the handbrake on his vehicle, which ultimately snapped his fibula and tibia in his left leg.

Talk about unlucky!

Banega had surgery, which will result in an approximate six month layoff.

Darren Bent

Aston Villa striker Darren Bent looks set to miss Euro 2012 following surgery on his left ankle.

The England forward had ruptured ligaments, which required surgery to repair, and he will be allowed to resume training in approximately 12 weeks time.

It will be a tight deadline for the striker to make.

Maicon

Inter Milan defender Maicon limped off Marseille in a Champions League match at the end of February, and whilst the injury is not as bad as first feared, Maicon is a doubt for the return leg.

Inter confirmed he has strained the tendon in his right knee.

John Terry

Chelsea captain John Terry underwent surgery at the end of February due to a piece of bone floating in his knee.

Originally it was suspected that the player would miss approximately two months through recovery, but he made a miraculous appearance on the bench for Chelsea in their recent FA Cup replay against Birmingham.

It could mean that Terry will be back playing sooner than people thought.

Per Mertesacker

Arsenal and Germany defender Per Mertesacker suffered an ankle injury in early February and subsequently had to undergo ligament constructive surgery.

Whilst he is unlikely to feature again for the Gunners this season, Germans will be pleased to know Mertesacker expects to be back in time for Euro 2012.

Antonio Valencia

Manchester United's Antonio Valencia was in fine form just prior to injuring his hamstring against Ajax in a Champions League game in February.

Manager Alex Ferguson ruled him out for four weeks leaving another couple to go before he returns.

Bastian Schweinsteiger

Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger tore his right ankle ligament approximately three weeks ago and has just returned to light training for his club.

The German international is expected to return over the coming weeks.

Mario Gotze

Borussia Dortmund star Mario Gotze suffered a strange injury when a persistant groin problem caused a knock-on inflammation problem in his hip.

The German player was expected to miss six-to-eight weeks from the injury occurrence in January.

Borusia Dortmund's website is suggesting the player will return in April.

Andre Santos

Arsenal have had an injury-plagued season so far, and Andre Santos added to their woes back in December.

The left back damaged his ankle ligaments and underwent surgery in his home country of Brazil.

He is expected to make a return towards the end of this month.

Tom Huddlestone

Tottenham and England midfielder Tom Huddlestone has undergone a secondary surgery to repair ligament damage in his ankle, meaning his hopes for Euro 2012 are long since dashed.

Huddlestone is aiming for a preseason return for 2012-13.

Alexis Sanchez

Barcelona fans can breath a sigh of relief following the news on Alexis Sanchez' hamstring injury.

The Chilean strained his right adductor in a recent league match against Sporting Gijon and is expected to return within a couple of weeks.

Diego

Atletico Madrid have already almost had two weeks without their playmaker Diego but are set to miss him for perhaps another three according to ahramonline.

Diego has injured his right leg muscle.

Andre-Pierre Gignac

French striker Andr-Pierre Gignac hobbled off in a recent league game for Marseille after suffering a strained adductor injury.

Gignac will now miss approximately two weeks worth of football for the French side.

Daniel Agger

Liverpool were hoping that Daniel Agger had finally gotten over his niggling injury issues for the club, only for the Dane to suffer a fractured rib against Cardiff in the Carling Cup final.

Agger is expected back in approximately two weeks time.

Jack Wilshere

Arsenal's Jack Wilshere is yet to feature this season after having an ankle problem since preseason.

The midfielder recently suffered a blow to his return to football following a stress fracture to his heel in a separate area to that of his original injury.

England fans should take note that the youngster is still hopeful of making the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine.

Angel Di Maria

Real Madrid's Angel Di Maria has already missed a large chunk of fixtures following hamstring problems throughout the season.

Unfortunately, the Argentine international is set for further time out following news he has suffered a recurrence of a thigh strain after just 30 minutes on the pitch in his comeback match.

Di Maria is expected to return in approximately two-to-three weeks time.

Barzagli and Chiellini

Juventus have been hit with a double injury blow to their defence recently, as both Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini suffered calf strains.

Barzagli is expected to be out for approximately 20 days whilst Chiellini's injury isn't as bad and will only rule him out for 10.

Antonio Cassano

Antonio Cassano suffered a minor heart attack in October 2011 and subsequently had to undergo heart surgery.

Cassano was immediately ruled out of six months but could now possibly return for Milan in April.

Giuseppe Rossi

Italian International Giuseppe Rossi ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee back in October 2011 and looks as though he will be a strong doubt for Euro 2012.

Currently at Spanish club Villareal, it is suggested the Italian may return to Serie A next season.

Darren Fletcher

Manchester United's Darren Fletcher has played only 645 minutes of league football this season after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis—a chronic inflammatory bowel condition.

Fletcher currently has no return date from his injury problem, and it has been implied that the injury could be career threatening.

Nicolas Burdisso

AS Roma defender Nicolas Burdisso underwent an operation following an injury to his knee ligaments at the back end of last year.

Burdisso is likely to miss the remainder of the Serie A campaign whilst he recovers.

Afterthoughts

If you took these players and put together a team, it wouldn't be half bad.

There are a mixture of bizarre and ridiculous injuries, but Evan Benega has to take the title for most stylish.

Just remember to consider the implications of leaving your handbrake off next time you fill up with petrol!

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out the most hilarious football names of all time.

On Twitter? Follow me @petercwebster where I post all my B/R content.