Stars who will probably miss the World Cup with injury

[Confucius]

Who will miss the greatest show on earth?

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup drawing closer, the 32 participating nations are stepping up the pace in their preparations ahead of the final. As the intensity mounts, the players are starting to feel the heat and injuries are creeping in.

Let's take a look at those major World Cup stars who are either going to miss out on the tournament entirely, or run the risk of doing so due to late injuries...


Michael Ballack
Germany



Age: 33
Position: Central midfielder
Club: Chelsea

Injury: Damaged ligaments to his right ankle during Chelsea's FA Cup final win over Portsmouth in mid-May.

Prognosis: Ballack will miss the entire World Cup as he recovers from this injury.


Didier Drogba
Ivory Coast



Age: 32
Position: Striker
Club: Chelsea

Injury: Fractured his right elbow during Ivory Coast's friendly win over Japan.

Prognosis: Latest reports claim he will miss the entire of the World Cup, although the Ivorian is hoping surgery will have him back in time for the latter group games.


Rio Ferdinand
England



Age: 32
Position: Centre-back
Club: Manchester United

Injury: Picked up a knock on his knee after a tussle with Emile Heskey during training.

Prognosis: Initial reports indicated ligament damage. These were later confirmed and Rio, on crutches, is out of the World Cup.


Michael Essien
Ghana



Age: 27
Position: Central midfielder
Club: Chelsea

Injury: Recurring problem with left knee ligaments sustained while on international duty with Ghana on January 2010.

Prognosis: Essien will miss the entire World Cup as he continues to recover from this injury.


Oscar Cardozo
Paraguay



Age: 27
Position: Striker
Club: Benfica

Injury: Struggling to reach full fitness after playing with an ankle injury for the last four games of the Portuguese league campaign.

Prognosis: Still unknown whether he will be fully fit for the World Cup but his agent has indicated that it's unlikely he will be.


Diego Milito
Argentina



Age: 30
Position: Striker
Club: Inter

Injury: Light ankle sprain during training.

Prognosis: No time has been set as to when he will be able to return to training, but 'El Principe' is expected to recover quickly as it was only a minor injury.


Julio Cesar
Brazil



Age: 30
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Inter

Injury: Limped out of the friendly win over Zimbabwe with a back problem.

Prognosis: Currently undergoing physiotherapy. Expected back in three to four days, but full fitness yet to be determined.


Mauro Camoranesi
Italy



Age: 33
Position: Midfielder
Club: Juventus

Injury: Sprained meniscus in his right knee which he sustained during training.

Prognosis: Has been included in final squad but a late fitness test will determine his availability.


Humberto Suazo
Chile



Age: 29
Position: Striker
Club: Monterrey

Injury: Tore his hamstring during friendly encounter against Israel.

Prognosis: 'Chupete' is expected to miss the World Cup. He is currently taking medication that may be deemed illegal and could be banned from the tournament.


Heiko Westermann
Germany



Age: 26
Position: Defender/Midfielder
Club: Schalke

Injury: Recurring knee problem after undergoing surgery in January.

Prognosis: Westermann will miss the entire World Cup as he recovers from this injury.


Andrea Pirlo
Italy



Age: 31
Position: Midfielder
Club: AC Milan

Injury: Calf problem sustained during preparations for this summer's tournament.

Prognosis: The deep-lying playmaker has flown back to Milan for assessment, but there are fears he will miss the entire tournament.

[H@SSàN]

I think Pirlo will miss just the first game against Paraguay...
Read this

[Confucius]

Originally Posted by HaSSàN-87

I think Pirlo will miss just the first game against Paraguay...
Read this

yeah man 3/4 of the players listed have minor injuries ba2a mech kellon will miss out on the World Cup..

[SysTaMatIcS]

تلقى المنتخب البرتغالي ضربة قوية قبل يومين من بداية العرس الكروي الذي سيقام في جنوب أفريقيا للمرة الأولى في تاريخها وذلك بتعرض لاعبه ناني الى إصابة أكد الخبراء الطبيون في الفريق البرتغالي انها قوية وستبعده عن المونديال.

ويذكر ان البرتغال أتت في الدجموعة النارية التي تضم البرازيل، ساحل العاج وكوريا الشمالية.

وأصدر الإتحاد البرتغالي لكرة القدم بيان جاء فيه:" بعد الإصابة التي تعرض لهل ناني نقل الى االمستشفى لتصوي رجله، وتبين ان اللاعب تعرض الى مشكلة في رباط ركبته ما سيبعده عن المونديال".

وفورا تم إستدعاء روبن أمورين 25 عاما وهو لاعب وسط بنفيكا ليحل مكان ناني
http://www.elnashrasports.com/news-1-1909.html

[Confucius]

There's also Mikel, the Nigerian star, he's gonna miss out on the World Cup due to recent injury!