Ronaldo, Adriano, Sturridge: 12 players whose careers were wrecked by injuries

Less than 10 years ago, Daniel Sturridge had the world at his feet. As part of a prolific partnership with Luis Suarez at Liverpool, the pair put fear into Premier League defences up and down the land. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before the former England man was struck down by injuries.

In his first 18 months at Anfield, Sturridge was in ridiculously good form, notching 35 goals in 49 games. Once his fitness woes began, though, he never recovered that same blistering ability to find the back of the net.

By the time Sturridge departed Merseyside at the end of the 2018/19 season, he had contributed just 32 goals in the previous five years.

Having faced no less than 15 spells on the sidelines due to injury in his Liverpool career, Sturridge was rarely able to enjoy a consistent run in the side – something which undoubtedly affected his form.

Spells with West Brom and Trabzonspor failed to reignite Sturridge’s fortunes post-Liverpool, but his move to Australian A-League side Perth Glory in October last year handed the player a fresh platform to prove himself once again.

It wasn’t to be. Sturridge represented Perth for a grand total of 138 minutes across six games. A groin injury in February of this year saw him spend even more time on the treatment table.

Unsurprisingly, after his underwhelming stint in Western Australia, the club announced on Friday that it had cut ties with Sturridge.

Only 32 years old, Sturridge once possessed the potential to be one of Europe’s top players. His rotten run of luck with injuries, however, has left his once-promising career in tatters.

Regrettably, he’s far from the first player to be betrayed by his body in this fashion.

Below, we’ve taken a look at 12 other top-flight players who saw