ACL has come to represent both fragility and endurance in modern football, and has never been spoken about as much as it is now. What was once a rare, almost freak occurrence has evolved into something approaching a crisis.
The game’s pace, its intensity, and its relentless calendar have collided with the limits of human physiology. Every weekend seems to bring another moment of stillness on the pitch; a player on the grass, hand raised, surrounded by anxious teammates. The body gives way before the mind ever does.
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sits deep within the knee, one of the central stabilizers that holds the joint together through sudden pivots, twists, and accelerations.
For soccer players, those movements are the essence of their craft. When it ruptures, it’s rarely a minor setback. Surgery follows, months of rehabilitation, the haunting doubt of whether that first sprint, that first tackle, that first step back onto the grass will feel the same again. Recovery timelines have improved, but the emotional toll remains untouched by science.
The rise in ACL injuries is concerning, exposing how far the sport has stretched itself. The elite players, men and women alike, move from club duties to international tournaments with almost no pause.
They train harder, run more, and face more fixtures in shorter windows. It’s no longer about one unlucky twist; it’s a structural issue built into football’s very design.
- 1. Neymar – Brazil, Forward, Al Hilal
- 2. Gavi – Spain, Midfielder, Barcelona
- 3. Thibaut Courtois – Belgium, Goalkeeper, Real Madrid
- 4. Éder Militão – Brazil, Defender, Real Madrid
- 5. Rodri – Spain, Midfielder, Manchester City
- 6. Jurrien Timber – Netherlands, Defender, Arsenal
- 7. Wesley Fofana – France, Defender, Chelsea
- 8. Christopher Nkunku – France, Forward, Chelsea
- 9. Leah Williamson – England, Defender, Arsenal Women
- 10. Beth Mead – England, Forward, Arsenal Women
- 11. Alan Shearer – England, Striker, Blackburn Rovers
- 12. Ruud van Nistelrooy – Netherlands, Striker, PSV Eindhoven
- 13. Xavi Hernández – Spain, Midfielder, Barcelona
- 14. Zlatan Ibrahimović – Sweden, Striker, Manchester United
- 15. Virgil van Dijk – Netherlands, Defender, Liverpool
- 16. Roberto Baggio – Italy, Forward, Vicenza
- 17. Radamel Falcao – Colombia, Striker, AS Monaco
- 18. Roy Keane – Republic of Ireland, Midfielder, Manchester United
- 19. Robert Pirès – France, Winger, Arsenal
- 20. Alessandro Del Piero – Italy, Forward, Juventus
- The Enduring Lesson
1. Neymar – Brazil, Forward, Al Hilal
When Neymar fell to the turf on a quiet October night in 2023, the silence that followed said everything. It wasn’t a bone-shaking collision or a desperate tackle.
It was the way he fell, awkward, unbalanced, final. Moments later, the diagnosis arrived: a complete ACL tear. For a player whose genius lives in quick turns, sharp feints, and sudden bursts of speed, it was a cruel twist.
At 31, recovery became about more than a rebuilt ligament. It was about trusting his body again. Muscles can be strengthened, tissue can be repaired, but belief takes time.
Neymar’s rehabilitation became a story not of doubt but of patience, of learning to move freely once more, because without that freedom, his artistry cannot breathe.
2. Gavi – Spain, Midfielder, Barcelona
When Gavi crumpled to the ground in November 2023, the energy inside the stadium seemed to vanish. Still a teenager, he played like someone who never stopped moving, pressing, spinning, colliding. Then, in an instant, that rhythm was gone.
The scans confirmed a torn ACL with meniscus damage, a combination that often means close to a year of recovery.
For Gavi, the challenge was more than physical. His game relies on aggression and constant motion, and Barcelona’s medical team built his recovery around restraint. They prioritized patience, understanding that rebuilding confidence is as important as rebuilding strength.
3. Thibaut Courtois – Belgium, Goalkeeper, Real Madrid
Goalkeepers are rarely victims of ACL tears. Their game is built on reactions, not sprints. Yet in August 2023, Courtois felt a shift underfoot in training and suddenly Real Madrid were without their anchor.
An ACL is critical for goalkeepers, the source of their power when they leap or push off the ground.
His absence forced Real Madrid into an uneasy adjustment, signing Kepa Arrizabalaga on loan. But no one could truly replace Courtois’ authority, that calm that radiates from the back and steadies an entire team.
SEE ALSO | ACL Injuries in Football: Why They Happen
4. Éder Militão – Brazil, Defender, Real Madrid
Just days after Courtois’ injury, Real Madrid suffered another blow. Éder Militão, the team’s defensive heartbeat, tore his ACL in the first match of the season.
For defenders who rely on acceleration and quick changes in direction, it is one of the cruelest injuries.
Even with all the data, monitoring, and technology modern football now has, some moments simply come down to bad luck and biomechanics. Madrid lost two of their most irreplaceable players in a single week, and suddenly the entire structure had to be rebuilt.
5. Rodri – Spain, Midfielder, Manchester City
Rodri’s importance to Manchester City cannot be overstated. He doesn’t just sit in midfield; he runs the system. When he went down clutching his knee, it felt like an earthquake through Guardiola’s intricate design.
An ACL tear tests the patience of any player, but for one who thrives on timing and balance, recovery meant learning to move in rhythm again.
City’s medical staff built his comeback around stability, small steps, gradual loading, controlled drills. Without Rodri, City briefly lost their shape, a reminder of how one ligament can ripple through an entire team.
6. Jurrien Timber – Netherlands, Defender, Arsenal
Jurrien Timber’s Arsenal debut lasted just one league match. After a bright pre-season that promised so much, his knee gave way on an awkward landing. Another ACL tear, another season rewritten before it began.
For defenders, rehabilitation focuses on power and balance, the ability to explode from stillness, to duel, to recover.
Arsenal’s staff, now experienced in dealing with long-term injuries, designed a cautious, detailed plan. Timber’s story became a quiet one of patience and control, waiting for the chance to begin again.
7. Wesley Fofana – France, Defender, Chelsea
By the time Wesley Fofana tore his ACL in July 2023, he had already fought through more setbacks than most players face in a lifetime. This one, though, struck deeper. His game depends on recovery runs and sharp turns, the exact movements the ACL governs.
Chelsea’s medical department mapped out a long rehabilitation window, six to nine months before full training. But everyone in football knows the knee heals before the mind does. Fofana’s test was as much emotional as physical.
SEE ALSO | Women’s ACL Tear In Soccer: The Risks & Prevention
8. Christopher Nkunku – France, Forward, Chelsea
Nkunku’s injury arrived just weeks after Fofana’s, another ACL tear in a pre-season friendly in the United States. For Chelsea, it was another cruel twist, and for Nkunku, a pause before his Premier League story even began.
For creative players, recovery is about rhythm. It is the small movements, the feints, the turns, the stop-starts, that take the longest to return.
Chelsea’s staff resisted the temptation to rush him. They knew that a full recovery is measured not in months, but in trust regained.
9. Leah Williamson – England, Defender, Arsenal Women
When Leah Williamson’s ACL snapped in April 2023, it felt like heartbreak spread across an entire nation. England’s captain, the symbol of calm leadership, missed the World Cup because of it.
Female footballers face ACL injuries at a far higher rate than men, up to six times more likely according to research, and the reasons range from biomechanics to hormonal factors.
Williamson’s recovery became more than her own journey. It became a rallying cry for better research, better prevention, and a deeper understanding of how to protect players in the women’s game.
10. Beth Mead – England, Forward, Arsenal Women
Beth Mead knew the isolation long before Williamson’s injury. Her ACL tear came in late 2022, just months after she had conquered Europe with England.
Rehab is a lonely road, progress measured not in goals, but in how many degrees the knee can bend.
Her openness during recovery gave strength to others. It was a story of quiet endurance, the kind that doesn’t make headlines but defines careers.
SEE ALSO | How to Avoid Soccer Knee Injuries with Effective Home Exercises
11. Alan Shearer – England, Striker, Blackburn Rovers
In 1992, an ACL tear was close to a career-ending injury. Alan Shearer changed that. His injury could have ended everything, but instead, he rebuilt himself through sheer persistence. A year later, he scored 31 goals.
Shearer’s comeback became a reference point for how far determination can carry a player when medicine is still catching up.
12. Ruud van Nistelrooy – Netherlands, Striker, PSV Eindhoven
In 2000, Van Nistelrooy’s dream move to Manchester United collapsed when he tore his ACL during training. For most players, that might have been the end of it. United waited.
A year later, he joined and unleashed a storm of goals.
His recovery blended modern physiotherapy with something more intangible: belief. Van Nistelrooy’s return showed that faith and discipline can rebuild more than muscle.
13. Xavi Hernández – Spain, Midfielder, Barcelona
When Xavi ruptured his ACL in 2005, Barcelona lost their rhythm. Yet just five months later, he was back, playing in a Champions League final.
Doctors credited his biomechanics and meticulous work ethic. His comeback marked a new era in sports science, one where recovery was no longer just about survival, but optimization.
SEE ALSO | Recovering from Soccer Injuries Without Rehab: Your Complete Guide
14. Zlatan Ibrahimović – Sweden, Striker, Manchester United
At 35, when Zlatan tore his ACL, most thought it was over. Seven months later, he was back. His recovery was a combination of modern medicine and his own extraordinary body control, forged through years of martial arts training.
Zlatan did not just return. He redefined what returning meant for older players.
15. Virgil van Dijk – Netherlands, Defender, Liverpool
Van Dijk’s injury in 2020 fractured more than his ACL. It fractured Liverpool’s balance. His leadership, presence, and command were irreplaceable.
Recovery for someone of his build was complex. It required strength, precision, and patience. When he came back, it was not just a defender returning. It was Liverpool’s soul finding its voice again.
16. Roberto Baggio – Italy, Forward, Vicenza
Baggio’s knee injuries began when he was 18, and they never truly left him.
Yet he played with grace that seemed untouched by pain. He learned to adapt, to trust creativity when the body no longer obeyed fully.
His career became a reminder that beauty in football does not always come from perfect health, but from persistence.
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17. Radamel Falcao – Colombia, Striker, AS Monaco
Falcao’s ACL tear in 2014 cost him the World Cup. He returned, but something had changed, a fraction of a second lost in acceleration, a detail invisible to most but decisive at the highest level.
He adapted. He found ways to thrive through timing and intelligence. Not all comebacks look the same; some are about reinvention.
18. Roy Keane – Republic of Ireland, Midfielder, Manchester United
Keane’s 1997 ACL injury kept him out for nearly a year. When he returned, he was a different kind of player, more disciplined, more strategic. That evolution helped lead United to the treble in 1999.
Some injuries do not just change players; they refine them.
19. Robert Pirès – France, Winger, Arsenal
In 2002, Pirès was flying. Then came the injury, and suddenly everything stopped. When he returned, he was slower but smarter, sharper in thought, calmer in execution.
It became part of Arsenal’s golden era, proof that evolution after injury can lead to something even greater.
20. Alessandro Del Piero – Italy, Forward, Juventus
Del Piero’s 1998 ACL tear could have ended his rise.
Instead, he adapted, moving deeper, relying on vision over pace. He rebuilt his game and, in doing so, built longevity.
SEE ALSO | 10 Of The Most Common Soccer Injuries
The Enduring Lesson
Across generations, the ACL has humbled football’s greatest names. The pattern never really changes: silence, surgery, solitude, and the slow rhythm of recovery.
Modern medicine has transformed what was once a career-ending injury into a temporary obstacle, but the game itself is testing new limits. Seasons blend into each other. Pitches vary. Fatigue never truly fades.
Clubs now use data to track workloads and screen biomechanics. FIFA’s “11+” program, once optional, is now a global benchmark for prevention. And in the women’s game, research into gender-specific risk factors is beginning to reshape training from the ground up.
