Top Ten Careers Cut Short

[notsosilentbob]

1. Marco van Basten (Aged 28):
The Dutch striker did enough in his eleven year career to be voted the eighth best footballer of the 20th century, but probably could have had at least five more years at the top were it not for the ankle injury that ended his career in the 1992/93 season. Van Basten scored at better than a goal a game during his four full seasons at Ajax, finishing top scorer each year, before winning the golden boot and scoring the greatest final goal of all time to seal Holland's European Championship success. This helped him win the first of his three European Footballer of the Year awards and a move to AC Milan, where he hit an unheard of goal every one and a half games and won two European Cups and three Scudettos before injury hit.

2. Bo Jackson (Aged 28):
The Nike "Bo Knows" advert made him known across the globe, but in the US he was already being hailed as the best dual sportsman of all time. A superb outfielder and prolific home run hitter in baseball who was MVP in the 1990 All-Star Game, for his hobby he just happened to be the best running back in the NFL. Unfortunately a hip injury sustained in the 1990 playoffs against the Cinncinati Bengals ended his American Football career and was the beginning of the end for his baseball career.

3. Brian Clough (Aged 27):
In the late 1950s and early '60s, England had two incredibly prolific strikers, one was Jimmy Greaves and the other was Old Big 'Ead himself. He netted an incredible 251 goals in 273 games for Middlesbrough and Sunderland and won two England caps, a total that would have been higher had he not suggested that manager Walter Winterbottom choose between him and Greaves. The fact that he never played in the top-flight means he is not remembered as a great player, but of course he made up for this with his superb managerial career.

4. Terrell Davis (Aged 27):
Davis only had four full seasons in the NFL but in that time did enough to be ranked as one of the best running backs ever to suit up in the professional ranks. He holds the record for seven consecutive 100 yard games in the post season and was the main reason for Denver Bronco's consecutive success in Superbowls XXXII and XXXIII. Early the following season he damaged anterior and medial collateral ligaments in his knee and though he would bravely play intermittently in the next two seasons he was never the same force again.

5. Martina Hingis (Aged 22):
Although she has since made a comeback, the most successful period of her career ended in 2002 due to ligament problems in both ankles. Defeat in the French Open in 1997 denied her a grand slam and she also reached a position of world number one on five occasions before being forced to quit.

6. Steve Coppell (Aged 27):
Coppell is sometimes a forgotten Manchester United winger as he played in an unsuccessful period for the club (winning only an FA Cup winners medal and Second Division title) but his performances - including 207 straight appearances, a club record for an outfield player - mean he should be mentioned along with George Best, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs and David Beckham as the great wingers to play at Old Trafford. A knee injury suffered in England's last qualification game for the 1982 World Cup eventually curtailed his career. Although he would play in that tournament and then for another year after, if he had stayed fit he could have played in the next World Cup in Mexico as well.

7. Norman Whiteside (Aged 26):
Whiteside beat Pele's record as the youngest ever footballer to play in a World Cup when he represented Northern Ireland in the 1982 finals and in the next three years he went on to score goals in both domestic cup finals and then a superb winner in the 1985 FA Cup Final. However by the age of 23 he had begun to be dogged by the injuries that would end his career. These, along with his drinking club antics with Bryan Robson and Paul McGrath, led Sir Alex Ferguson to sell him to Everton in 1989, but his performances for The Toffees were limited and in 1991 he was forced to hang up his boots.

8. Bruce Reid (Aged 29):
Reid was a fine left arm seam bowler at 6ft 8in action who was particularly awkward for opposition batsmen to face. Unfortunately his gangly frame meant he was always prone to injury and was never a permanent fixture in the Australian side. His bowling record at Test level suggests were it not for his problems he would have been regarded as one of his country's best ever bowlers. His moment of glory came when he was the leading bowler in the 1990/91 Ashes series, but shortly afterwards injury forced him to end his career permanently.

9. Phil Clarke (Aged 25):
Clarke was part of the all-conquering Wigan side in the late 1980s and early 1990s and Great Britain captain before moving to play for the Sydney Roosters just before the advent of the Super League. Unfortunately in his first season there he broke his neck and was advised to quit the game. He went on to manage the GB Rugby League side.

10. Paul Lake (Aged 22):
Although he would finally admit defeat six years later, Lake's career was virtually ended by a ruptured cruciate ligament at the start of the 1990/91 season. By that time he had already left his mark as a superb central midfielder for Manchester City emerging from their FA Youth Cup winning side, going on to play for England Under-21s and was in serious contention to be a member of the 1990 World Cup party. Unfortunately, he never got to fulfill his potential and quit in 1996 after undergoing some 14 operations on his troubled knee.

Source - sky sports news