Arsenal are seriously worried about William Saliba this summer and rightly so, after the Frenchman limped out of the World Cup injured.
Saliba was seen visibly telling the French coaching team that his back had gone and he could not continued.
Saliba has been managing the issue for some time but now, there is a feeling at Arsenal that their star defender could need some corrective surgery and ultimately, a long spell on the sidelines to get sorted.
Still, while surgery is an option and Saliba will hope to come back, he will be looking at other famous sports stars and their back injuries with worry.
William Saliba’s back injury could end up changing his career
In football, we rarely see major back injuries compared to other sports simply due to the nature of how football is played.
Sports like golf, tennis and American Football all involve constant movements or direct traumas to the back and subsequently, we see their athletes have issues.
For now, Saliba will be hopeful of making a full recovery. But he only need look at two of the biggest names in tennis and golf to be worried.
First off, and perhaps most famously of all, Tiger Woods has seen his career pretty much shattered by back problems and injuries. After roaring to success in the 2000s and 2010s, Woods then required multiple surgeries between 2014 and 2017. Indeed, at one point, things got so bad that he struggled to even pick up a golf bag, never swing it.
In 2017, he underwent major surgery and eventually fought back to win the 2019 Masters in one of sport’s greatest ever comebacks.
However, he continues to need surgery and injections to this day. He is older, but his entire golf swing and ability to walk is impacted by his back problems, amongst other things.
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Andy Murray forced to retire due to back injuries
As for Andy Murray, the former Wimbledon champion suffered nearly all his career with back problems.
Murray had his first surgery in 2013. Having won two majors prior to this, he would only win one more – that Wimbledon title in 2016 – and never quite got back to the same level.
In fact, it was back issues that caused his retirement in 2024 after years of trying to manage with injections.
Arsenal’s Saliba, then, will be hoping he is one of the lucky ones. Quite what the plan is, we don’t yet know.
But back surgery is a big deal and ultimately, it could end up defining his career.
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