Brazil midfielder Lucas Paqueta gave himself an injury in an incredibly weird fashion – whilst flying a kite.
The talented Lyon player has become one of the most sought-after midfielders in recent years. Currently, a trio of Premier League teams are looking to make a move for Paqueta. North London sides Arsenal and Spurs have him on their radar. Meanwhile, Newcastle are also long-time admirers of the Brazilian.
In recent weeks, The Evening Standard have reported that Tottenham are just about leading the race for Paqueta, who Lyon value at £65 million.
Last season, the Brazilian was one of the stand-out players in Ligue 1. His impressive performances earned him fan recognition; they voted him the best foreign player in the league in 2021/22. Utilised in an attack-minded central midfield role, Paqueta notched eleven goals and seven assists across 43 appearances in all competitions.
But Lucas Paqueta grabbed fans’ attention in a more shocking manner after news emerged of a freak injury.
Lucas Paqueta has a bizarre injury
In an insane slice of bad luck, the Lyon midfielder revealed on Twitter that he had injured himself with a kite. He had managed to cut one of his fingers whilst operating the traditional children’s toy.
Posting a smiling photo brandishing his injured hand, Paqueta addressed his followers.
“Remember that children’s games also have consequences,” he said humorously, translation via L’Equipe. “I kited today and cut my finger.
“Everything is fine. But, to avoid any problems in the future, I will undergo a minor surgery tomorrow.”
Thankfully, the injury sustained is not serious, and Paqueta will likely be ready to go for the start of the 2022/23 season.
However, it is one of the strangest injury reasons that a footballer has given, much like these stars in the past:
Football’s weirdest injuries
A few years ago, fans may remember when Marco Asensio ruled himself out of Real Madrid’s opening 2017/18 Champions League game versus APOEL Nicosia. The reason? He had an infected pimple as a result of shaving his legs! It caused such discomfort that Asensio apparently could not pull up his football socks in pain.
In a similarly strange leg injury, Rio Ferdinand strained tendons in his knee once during his playing days at Leeds United. However, he had not done this on the pitch. In fact, the strain was the outcome of idleness. Ferdinand had sat playing PlayStation for so long that he hurt his leg.
Finally, former Liverpool and Ajax star Jari Litmanen had terrible luck throughout his career with forced spells on the sidelines. But this particular injury really was the peak of misfortune. Whilst at Malmo, the Finland man missed weeks of action after the ring pull from a can of coke hit him in the eye. Clearly, he did not see that one coming.
Despite the daft injury, at least Lucas Paqueta can take solace from the fact that he is not the only footballer to hurt themselves in an odd way.
Featured image credit: Getty
