Samuel Asamoah Suffers Serious Neck Injury

Footballer Samuel Asamoah got seriously hurt during a match for Guangxi Pingguo FC in China’s second-tier League One. On Sunday, while chasing the ball, he was shoved by an opposing player and he crashed head-first into a bright LED advertising board at the edge of the pitch. Doctors say the 31-year-old suffered fractures in his neck and nerve damage. He had to undergo emergency surgery. The club warned that he is at high risk of paraplegia, meaning he could lose the ability to move his legs if things go really bad. 

Before coming to China, Asamoah spent many seasons playing in Belgium, first with clubs like Sint‑Truiden and OH Leuven and is also part of the national team of Togo national football team. Guangxi Pingguo says he’s stable after surgery but he’ll miss the rest of the season and nobody knows yet if he’ll be able to return to top-level football. 

This scary accident reminds us, even pro players aren’t safe from crazy injuries. Football is super fun and exciting, but it can get dangerous too, sometimes in just a split second.