Injuries

In the 77th minute of PSG’s routine 3-0 victory over Marseille Sunday night, a seemingly innocuous moment led to Neymar remaining on the ground while play continued around him. 10 seconds later, with Neymar still writhing in agony and in clear discomfort, PSG played the ball out so their Brazilian star could receive treatment. 

Neymar was then stretchered off the field while crying inconsolably. For many, the world’s most expensive player had clearly just suffered a serious injury (perhaps a broken ankle), calling into question his participation at the World Cup.

Last October, Borussia Dortmund and German international Marco Reus delivered a heartbreaking statement when speaking with GQ, saying that he “would give all (his) money away” to be free of injuries and return to fitness after his latest setback, a devastating ruptured cruciate ligament in the 2017 DFB-Pokal Final. 

With all the big stars on display for the Real Madrid vs PSG match on Wednesday, leave it to Brazilian left back Marcelo to steal the show in the opening moments of the game. Marcelo went from screaming bloody murder to providing one of the sweetest passes of the match in about 20 minutes’ time. But for a face block, Cristiano Ronaldo would have opened the scoring. 

Ryan Mason, aged 26, has announced his retirement from football according to a club statement from Hull City. According to the club, “Ryan has sought the guidance of numerous world renowned neurologists and neurosurgeons who have all advised that a return to competitive football is not advised.” 

Philippe Coutinho, who became the second most expensive footballer of all-time after joining Barcelona from Liverpool on Jan. 6, looks set for his Barca debut after returning to full first-team training following a spell on the sidelines with a thigh injury.

Walking off the pitch today, face covered in blood after scoring Real Madrid’s sixth goal of the day, Cristiano Ronaldo borrowed his doctor’s phone to check out the damage.

There's buzz in London about the Andy Carroll to Chelsea transfer rumors. The 29-year-old striker is reportedly unfit for training as a result of an ankle injury, although there are conflicting reports about that. 

It’s an old trope of film that always gets the job done effectively and, more importantly, concisely: the training montage. Films like the Rocky franchise, The Karate Kid, X-Men: First Class, The Fighter, Cool Runnings, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Hunger Games and you get the point have all utilized the uplifting sequence to quickly portray a long passage of time devoted to painstaking preparation.

Tigres winger Jurgen Damm has turned himself into an example of how not to play with fireworks after suffering first-degree burns on the right side of his face in a New Year's Eve fireworks accident. Damm will be out for around two weeks, the club announced.