Topics: Premier League, Football, Injury, Manchester City, Portsmouth
A footballer involved most infamous fouls of the Premier League era confessed that he is worried it could have done lasting damage.
Every Premier League season, there is at least one horrific tackle or challenge that sticks in the memory of fans for years to come.
Whether it is famous hardman Roy Keane's brutal career-ending tackle on rival Alf-Inge Haaland in 2001 or even Martin Taylor's horrific tackle on Arsenal striker Eduardo in 2008.
However, since the Premier League was founded in 1992 there is one tackle that stands out as perhaps the worst in the competition's history.
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And year's later, the player who suffered an injury due to the challenge has spoken out to confess his concerns that it may have caused permanent damage to his body.
In August 2006, former Portsmouth midfielder Pedro Mendes was playing in a match against Manchester City when he received a challenge that has changed his life.
During what was a drab 0-0 draw, Mendes rushed over to clear the ball following a City corner but was swiftly knocked to the ground by a shocking challenge from Ben Thatcher.
During the challenge, Thatcher smashed his forearm into Mendes’ jaw, knocking him unconscious and causing the midfielder to suffer a seizure.
The Portsmouth star was taken off on a stretcher following the challenge, and 18 years later he admitted he was still worried about the possible long-term effects of the incident.
“I woke up in hospital after the Ben Thatcher challenge, but luckily the worst thing I felt afterwards was just being unsettled, as well as some pains. It took me a couple of games to actually start playing properly again,” Mendes told OLBG last year.
“The main thing for me is worrying about my future, I fear that the injury could lead to more incidents or injuries in the brain. I know the game can be aggressive but what he did was illegal.
“The most important thing for me was to put it behind me or I'd never have been able to play the game again. I’d have been afraid to go into a challenge, afraid to tackle, I had to reset and keep moving forward.”
Shockingly, referee Dermot Gallagher only showed Thatcher a yellow card for the challenge, prompting outrage from Mendes' Portsmouth teammates and manager Harry Redknapp.
However, following the game the Welsh international wrote an apology to Mendes while being fined six weeks’ wages and suspended for six games by Man City before being given an eight-game ban by the FA.
