Football's worst ever injuries

HORROR injuries have scarred the beautiful game – and we’ve compiled 13 of the most brutal breaks and killer KO’s that have stunned soccer.

Kieron Dyer’s broken leg rules him out for most of West Ham’s season and is the latest in a long line of football horror shows.

Coventry’s David Busst is perhaps the most memorable victim when his side faced Manchester United in a 1996 league clash.

His career ended when his leg snapped following a collision involving United pair Brian McClair and Dennis Irwin.

But his is not the only career cut short by horror injuries.

Chelsea’s Pierluigi Casiraghi had ten operations on his knee following a collision with West Ham goalkeeper Shaka Hislop in 1998, but the surgery was unsuccessful and he had to hang up his boots.

And in 2000, Aston Villa’s Begian striker Luc Nilis suffered a broken leg after colliding with Ipswich goalkeeper Richard Wright and was forced to retire after only three appearances for the Villans.

Ex-Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse has been involved in two shocking career-threatening breaks that have blighted his progress.

The first occurred in a Premier League game against Blackburn in 2004 and the French marksman suffered a second break playing for France in a friendly against China which kept him out of last year’s World Cup.

David Busst (pronounced Boost) (born 30 June 1967 in Birmingham) is a former English footballer and current football community officer and coach.

Busst played as a defender, and started his career at non-league Moor Green F.C., before moving to Coventry City in 1991. A solid and well-respected defender, Busst was good enough to play over 50 times for the Premiership side and become a regular, though he never represented his country.

His playing career came to a tragic end on April 8, 1996 for Coventry, against Manchester United. Two minutes into the match, Busst collided with United players Denis Irwin and Brian McClair, resulting in extensive fractures to both the tibia and fibula of his right leg. The match had to be delayed for 15 minutes while the blood was cleaned off the pitch. It is reputed that Manchester United's goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel vomited on the pitch upon seeing the injury and had to have counselling afterwards, along with a number of other players. It is commonly regarded as the worst single injury ever witnessed in the Premiership's history, made even more tragic because Busst was in the running for an England squad call-up at the time.

Busst's injuries were so bad that he at one point ran the risk of having his leg amputated. Despite having 26 operations, Busst remained a member of the Coventry squad but never played again and retired from the game following advice from his doctors on 6 November 1996 at the age of 29. Since his retirement, he has worked for Coventry's backroom staff, working for their 'Football in the Community' programme, of which he is now director. In the meantime, he has also trained as a coach, earning several UEFA coaching badges. Busst went on to manage non-league Evesham United, having previously taken charge of Solihull Borough. He currently acts as defensive cover for Highgate United of the Midland Combination Premier Division as his brother, Paul, is the club's assistant manager.

Luc Nilis (born May 25, 1967 in Hasselt, Belgium) is a former Belgian football striker. He ended his career early in the 2000-01 season after he broke his leg in a match with his club Aston Villa following a clash with Ipswich Town goalkeeper Richard Wright.

His former clubs include K.F.C. Winterslag, R.S.C. Anderlecht, PSV Eindhoven. During his time with PSV, Nilis formed one of the deadliest partnerships in Europe with team-mate Ruud van Nistelrooij. In the 1998-1999 season, Nilis and van Nistelrooij scored 55 league goals between them. van Nistelrooij finished as top-scorer, Nilis came second. In the following season, Nilis' last for PSV, they scored 48 league goals between them.

Nilis played 56 times for the Belgian national team, scoring 10 times. A prolific goalscorer with his clubs, he scored his first goal for Belgium only on his 24th cap (a 9-0 win against Zambia). Nilis played in the 1994 World Cup, the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 which Belgium co-hosted with The Netherlands.