This article examines footballers who were forced to end their professional careers because of persistent injuries and physical setbacks.
Every professional footballer eventually closes the chapter on their playing days, often due to age or after reaching a career milestone. Yet a small number of players leave the sport because injuries or recurring health issues make continuing impossible. In its coverage, GOAL highlights those careers cut short by physical problems.
SALVADOR CABANAS
RONALDO SCHEMIDT – AFP
Known as the Marshal, Cabanas’ professional path came to an abrupt stop after a 2010 bar incident in Mexico City involving a person linked to drug trafficking. Salvador Cabanas, who notched 98 goals for the Club America side and earned idol status with the club, demonstrated quality in every match he played in the cream-and-blue jersey. His career, though, was ultimately curtailed by the injuries and aftereffects of that incident, which prevented him from returning to top-level football.
RAFAEL MARQUEZ LUGO
Having debuted with Pumas, Rafael Marquez Lugo later joined Monarcas Morelia, where he enjoyed some of his best moments. America and Chivas were among his subsequent stops, but it was in Guadalajara that lingering knee problems emerged, ultimately steering him toward retirement from the sport.
CESAR ANDRADE
One of the most promising prospects in Mexican football, Andrade started with Atlas, where his talent drew early comparisons and earned him rookie of the year honors. He belonged to a generation of red-black players alongside figures such as Mario Méndez, Daniel Osorno and Miguel Zepeda, among others. In 1999, a car accident altered the course of his life. Andrade suffered multiple injuries after the collision, and a partial amputation of his right leg forced him to retire from football.
CARLOS SANCHEZ
The American defender with strong roots began his top-flight career with the Eagles in 2002 and later moved to San Luis, delivering strong seasons. In 2008 he returned to the club where he was born and rode through a difficult era for the team. During a Copa Libertadores round of 16 clash, a head clash led to medical complications that would later result in a stroke during training, ending his playing days.
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Citation: GOAL