Last night, Jeremy Menez was making his first appearance for Bordeaux but his debut was somewhat ruined when half of his ear came off. It seems as though the wedge of ear was ripped from the side of the former AC Milan man's head after an opponent's studs landed on it, tearing it clean off. How bizarre.
Injuries are not uncommon in football and the more aggressive the athlete, the more prone he is to picking up a nagging wound. In some cases, however, it doesn't matter how big or how tough the player is when it comes to freak accidents and random ailments.
Here are 10 of the most bizarre and unfortunate football injuries in the history of the game. Strap in, because these are mental.
- Darren Barnard (Chelsea/Barnsley) - Fell on Dog Poo
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An innocent puppy almost ended former Welsh international Darren Barnard's career.
Unbeknownst to Barnard, said new born puppy had accidentally left a rather large mess on the kitchen floor and the midfielder slipped in the mess, rupturing his ankle ligaments. He was out of action for five months.
- Richard Wright (Arsenal) - Injury Prone Goalkeeper
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It's a well known fact that Richard Wright hasn't had the greatest time in the game.
A nasty shoulder injury was the result of falling out of his parents' loft and he was then ruled out of the FA Cup fourth-round replay at Chelsea after suffering a freak injury during the warm-up.
In an incident which defines the meaning of poetic justice, Wright once ignored a notice warning goalkeepers not to practice in the goalmouth and promptly fell over the sign, seriously damaging his ankle ligaments.
Dave Beasant (Southampton) - Salad Cream Injury
Soon after joining Southampton in 1993, the former England goalkeeper dropped a bottle of salad cream in the kitchen and attempted to control it with his foot.
He severed a tendon in his toe and was ruled out for eight weeks. You would have thought that an experienced goalkeeper like Beasant would use his safe hands to catch the salad cream, but he probably had the salad tossers in them.
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Svein Grondalen (Norway) - Collision with Moose
When Norway boss Tor Roste Fossen was informed of Svein Grondalen's reason for his withdrawal ahead of an important World Cup qualifier, he must have feared the worst.
In an attempt to maintain peak physical fitness, the central defender - known for his physical strength and uncompromising tackling - went for a jog near his home, but came off second best in a collision with a moose. Yes, the animal.
Paulo Diogo (Servette) - Loss of Finger
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The next time a referee makes you take off all your jewelry before a game, you do it.
Paulo Diogo, a former Servette midfielder, celebrated Jean Beauséjour's goal in a 4-1 win at Schaffhausen by jumping onto a metal perimeter fence to salute the travelling fans.
Unfortunately, Diogo had forgotten to remove his wedding ring, which promptly got caught in the barrier and he realised that he was missing the top of his finger. He was also booked for this painful celebration...Ouch.
Steve Morrow (Arsenal) - Broken Collarbone Celebrating
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Disaster has never followed triumph quite as quickly as in the case of Arsenal's Steve Morrow.
In the 1993 League Cup final against Sheffield Wednesday, the promising midfielder bagged what turned out to be the winner. Unfortunately, as the final whistle was blown and the celebrations began, skipper Tony Adams hoisted the goal-scoring hero into the air and promptly dropped him.
Morrow broke his collarbone and was stuffed in the back of an ambulance as his team-mates collected their medals. He missed the rest of the season - including the FA Cup final. Poor Steve.
David Batty (Leeds United) - Tricycle Hit and Run
The former Leeds hard-man was resting an ankle ligament injury when his recovery was set back by a terrible accident.
His three-year-old daughter ran over his foot with her tricycle. The hit and run incident still haunts Batty to this day and rumours are rife that the 45-year-old is unable to even look at a tricycle after that dramatic experience.
Darius Vassell (Aston Villa) - Power Drill Incident
So, a common injury in the form of a blood blister unfortunately gives you pain in your foot. Do you go to the club physio or try and burst it with an electric power drill?
Well, Darius Vassell decided to self-operate on his foot with a power drill. Yes, the same piece of equipment you would use to puncture holes in concrete walls.
The unorthodox technique did the trick and the blood blister was no more. However, the following blood infection caused a lot more damage.
Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United) - Playstation Injury
The cause of Rio Ferdinand's tendinitis was over-use of his PlayStation.
Yes, the then Leeds United defender embarked on a marathon session of Pro-Evolution Soccer whilst resting his feet on the coffee table, but the angle of elevation and length of time his leg was stretched unfortunately left him with a strained tendon in his knee.
Adam Chapman (Oxford) - Burnt Nipple
One of the most bizarre headlines ever: "Oxford midfield player and new dad Adam Chapman is in a fitness battle after burning a NIPPLE preparing a bottle of milk for his baby."
The unfortunate Chapman was preparing milk for the baby and did not put the lid back on the hot water. He spilled it over his chest, thus burning said nipple.
Despite the damaged nipples and his burning chest, he played on and completed the next 90 minutes of football.
Respect.
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