With the health and safety laws around these days, the sight of a player with a blood-splattered head is unlikely to be seen on a football field again. Terry Butcher entered folklore after helping England reach the 1990 World Cup finals when he was bloodied, but unbowed in Sweden. Needing a point to qualify for Italia ‘90, England saw Butcher suffer a head wound early in the game, which was hastily stitched up and bandaged by the physios. As happens in these situations, the ball then seemed to be attracted to captain Butcher, which reopened the wound all over his shirt as England battled to a 0-0 draw.
Butcher revealed: “I’d have never have walked off, and Bobby Robson knew that if he’d have taken me off I’d have killed him.”
8. Chris Simms plays on with a ruptured spleen
There are plenty of big hits in American Football, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarter-back Simms took several against the Carolina Panthers in 2006. After one particular heavy challenge, Simms bowed out of the game, but returned to led a scoring drive as the Buccs went down 26-24. After the game, tests in hospital revealed that Simms had ruptured his spleen, and emergency surgery would be needed.
Doctors removed his spleen, but Simms lost five pints of blood during the surgery. If he had gone untreated for another 45 minutes, Simms would have been near death.
“I remember the play, but the [rest of]the game is foggy, said Simms, whose career at the Buccaneers faded after he struggled to reclaim a starting spot and he has since gone into coaching.
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