Fabregas had been a doubt for Arsenal’s crucial 2010 Champions League quarter-final with Barcelona because a bruised leg suffered in a challenge with Birmingham’s Craig Gardner. But worse was to come for the Spanish midfielder after he was fouled by his future club colleague Carles Puyol in the 85th-minute of the clash, with Barca leading the first leg 2-1 at the Emirates. Puyol was red-carded and Fabregas stepped up to fire home the equalising penalty before collapsing in a heap. He was stretchered off and was later revealed to be suffering from a broken leg.
Afterwards, he said: “I took the penalty quite strongly and then went to get the ball and after that I couldn’t walk any more. I don’t know whether I did it then or when I was fouled for the penalty.”
There was even some suggestion that his leg may have been broken in the challenge with Gardner a week earlier.
Fabregas said: “Yes, it’s the same spot, but I didn’t go into the game against Barca thinking “My leg’s broken.”
10. Ronnie Lott played in a 1985 playoff game with a crushed finger that eventually had to be amputated
