2. Champagne cork
Eritrean cyclist Binyam Ghirmay made history by becoming the first black African to win a stage race at the Giro d’Italia, a landmark achievement within the Grand Tours that also include the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.
His triumph was clouded by an absurd mishap. While celebrating on the podium, Ghirmay opened a bottle of champagne, and a mushroom cork struck his left eye. Blood instantly filled the eye, and he was taken to hospital. The immediate worry subsided when doctors confirmed there was no lasting threat to his vision, but Ghirmay still paused his racing schedule to rest his eyes.
“I was upset about the champagne incident. People were worried for me, but in the end everything worked out,” Ghirmay explained in a video posted by the Intermarch-Wanty-Gobert team. “After that, I stayed away from the start to give my eyes time to recover. I look forward to returning to competition and appreciate all the support.”
Team doctor Pete Daniels offered a brief update: “Biniam is doing well. We need to be patient. He’s improving and regaining sight.”
2. Icon
Georgian footballer Otar Khizaneishvili, who wore the shirt of Moscow Dynamo before moving to Freiburg in Germany in 2004, also faced a strikingly odd eye injury in his career. During training camps, he traveled with a heavy icon case and would place the treasured image on his bed.
Khizaneishvili once dreamed he needed to throw a ball from the outside. While sleeping, he waved his arms in a jerky motion and hit the icon on the wall with surprising force. The impact left a noticeable mark, and the damage to his vision never fully recovered to its previous level.
3. Coke cap
Jari Litmanen, a legendary Finnish playmaker who starred for Barcelona and Liverpool and was lauded as Finland’s greatest footballer by UEFA for much of his era, endured a bizarre eye mishap late in his career with Malmö. The challenge involved a bottle of Coke and a single idea—open it with one eye.
In a moment of bravado, Litmanen overexerted himself, damaging his cornea in the process and forcing him to miss two weeks of training while he recovered in hospital.
4. Seagull
Real Madrid icon Fernando Morientes experienced a dramatic on-field moment when a seagull became an unexpected player. During a training session, the bird swooped in, pecked aggressively, and left Morientes with a winged impact that pierced the palm to the bone. The injury sidelined him for two months of practice and preparation.
5. Puppy
Former Chelsea defender Darren Bernard faced a months-long layoff attributed to an incident involving a poorly trained puppy. A playful misstep on a wet floor led to a torn knee ligament after a slip, keeping him out of action for five months and requiring surgery and rehab in the hospital.
6. Game controller
AC Milan legend Alessandro Nesta, famed for his defensive mastery, ended up with a wrist tendon injury from an unusual source: a PlayStation session that got out of hand. In a tense moment, excessive force on the gamepad tore a tendon, forcing Nesta to sit out a month of training and recovery.
7. Aftershave
Santiago Canizares, the Spanish goalkeeper who shone for Valencia and represented Spain in three World Cups, missed a World Cup due to a quirky accident. While showering, he attempted to lift his feet to avoid slipping and a bottle of aftershave shattered. A fragment pierced his leg, severing a tendon and derailing his World Cup plans, paving the way for Iker Casillas to step into the spotlight.
8. Drill
Darren Vassell, a name associated with England, Manchester City, and Leicester, preferred self-reliance over medical visits. When a nail in his finger became inflamed, he used a drill to open the nail and drain the infection. The plan backfired: half the nail was removed and infection spread, forcing a hospital visit and several weeks of recovery as surgeons cleaned the wound and repaired the damage.
9. Mayonnaise
Former England and Aston Villa striker Darren Bent avoided tools, choosing a regular knife to handle a stubborn jar of mayonnaise. The overzealous effort misfired, and he cut his hand instead of the lid requiring treatment and rest to heal properly.
10. Board of Directors
During an NBA Finals moment with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James endured a surprising injury after a friction-filled sequence in Game 1. A ball mishandling moment by JR Smith, who misread the clock and rushed a move, caused the Cavs to lose momentum. In a moment of frustration, James struck the locker-room door with his fist, breaking a bone in his forearm. The injury sidelined him for several games, and the team endured a tough stretch as they tried to close the series.