Latest injuries before the Football World Cup
Andrea Pirlo
An key component of Italy's midfield, Andrea Pirlo will miss his country's first game against Paraguay due to an injury to his left calf. The 2006 World champion will probably be out between 15 and 20 days and his World Cup participation is in doubt.
With ten minutes left to friendly game against Mexico (2-1 defeat), Andrea Pirlo left the game with an apparent injury. He passed medical exams on Friday and the verdict is a lesion on the left calf. After 12 days in altitude at Sestrieres, the Nazionale were already hurt by being dominated in every sector of the game by the Mexicans. The latest injury to Andrea Pirlo does not make it easy for Marcello Lippi who needs to change his team with Pirlo out for their first World Cup game against Paraguay. Pirlo went back to Milan to get treatments and will be come back to South Africa afterwards. One thing for sure, he will miss the Paraguay team on June 14th and nothing indicates that he will recover on time for the other two games of their group against New-Zealand and Slovakia, on June 20th and June 24th.
Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba broke a bone in his right arm when the Ivory Coast played Japan in a friendly game. The game was played in Switzerland at the Tourbillon stadium at Sion. Fifteen minutes into the game, Didier Drogba already scored on a free-kick, an own-goal by Tanaka. All was going well for Drogba until he found himself on the ground after a contact with the same Tanaka. Going down quickly, Drogba was screaming with pain and it did not look well for the Chelsea striker.
On the same day, his injury was assessed and it was decided that he will go for surgery and might be back in 10 days. There is still one week left before the beginning of the World Cup in South Africa.
Rio Ferdinand
Out with a knee injury that he picked up in practice, Rio Ferdinand will not play the 2010 World Cup. England's defender and captain got injured after a contact with Emile Heskey.Rio will be replaced by Totteham's Michael Dawson. Fabio Capello named Steven Gerrard the new captain.
Rio Ferdinand did not last one full practice in South Africa. During the first full practice in South Africa, England's skipper injured his knee after a shock and it could not hold. The central defender was immediately taken to the hospital and the diagnostic was clear as water: he will not play the 2010 World Cup for England. It is bad luck for Rio Ferdinand and Capello loses half of his central defense.
Michael Dawson should fly to South Africa on Friday night. ''It is obviously bad news and the whole team is disappointed and sad for Rio. It was an accidental injury at practice but the quality of the pitch is not at fault'' said England's manager Fabio Capello.
John-Obi Mikel
With a knee injury that sidelined him for the end of the 2009-2010 season with Chelsea, John Obi Mikel, Nigeria's and Chelsea's midfield player will not play in the World Cup in South Africa. he picked up an ankle injury during the practice as announced by the Nigerian soccer federation. John Obi Mikel was participating in his first full contact after a long absence from the pitch due to a knee injury. He will be replaced by Sochaux's Brown Ideye who does not have one Cap with Nigeria.
Obi Mikel is the fourth Chelsea player to miss the World Cup after Ghana's Mikael Essien, Germany's Michael Ballack and Ivory Coast's Didier Drogba.
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