From Lamine Yamal to Zidane: five stars who reached their peak despite pubalgia

From Lamine Yamal and Antony, with the best scoring numbers of their careers, to Zidane and Kroos, who reached an outstanding level after suffering the dreaded pubic injury. These players suffered from pubalgia and then went on to reach their ‘peak’ in football. This injury is very difficult to deal with because it is usually chronic, but these five footballers knew how to overcome it.

Lamine Yamal

The most prominent case is that of Barcelona’s young star Lamine Yamal. The winger has managed to equal the best goalscoring figure of his career. It was 18 goals and, with his hat-trick against Villarreal (the first of his career), he managed to equal that figure with which he managed to finish second in the Ballon d’Or. Already with the decisive goals of Athletic and Newcastle, he accumulates 20, all this with 18 fewer games and starting the season with constant groin problems.

Antony

Real Betis right winger Antony dos Santos has scored 11 goals so far this season, with his best tally being the 12 he scored for Ajax in 2021. The Brazilian, who has had some groin problems this season, has almost half a season to go to break his record for goals in professional football. He is also clearly in the best goalscoring form of his career

Cole Palmer

The English winger played brilliantly in the recent Club World Cup. He ended up being the Golden Ball winner of that tournament, leading Chelsea to the top, scoring in the final against PSG, and being the best player in the final. Cole Palmer was injured before that competition with, even, painkilling injections. His constant groin problems did not prevent him from showing his best form in a world-class tournament, with three goals and two assists in the six Club World Cup matches.

Toni Kroos

The former German footballer Toni Kroosretired at one of the best moments of his career, but before that retirement he reached an outstanding level after overcoming a bothersome pubalgia in 2021-2022. After missing numerous matches at the beginning of the season, the Real Madrid midfielder ended up performing at a very high level, leading Los Blancos to win LaLiga and the Champions League, being fundamental in the play of Carlos Ancelotti’s side.

Zinedine Zidane

The French legend, Zinedine Zidane, suffered a severe acute pubalgia combined with a torn right adductor muscle in September 2005, which kept him out of action for around three weeks. This chronic injury threatened his participation in the 2006 World Cup, but he ended up playing and was the star of that tournament, although he did not manage to lift the trophy. He was the Ballon d’Or winner of the tournament with three goals and two assists, eliminating teams such as Spain, Brazil and Portugal. It ended up being a bittersweet end for him due to the headbutt to Materazziand the defeat in the final against Italy, but it is clear that the level of the former Real Madrid player and coach in that World Cup was extraordinary.

All these players managed to overcome an increasingly common injury in professional football, pubalgia. Others fall by the wayside, but they became stronger.