{"id":795351,"date":"2026-07-11T16:29:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T16:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/795351\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T16:29:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T16:29:08","slug":"at-the-world-cup-soccers-hidden-injury-has-become-increasingly-visible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/795351\/","title":{"rendered":"At the World Cup, soccer\u2019s hidden injury has become increasingly visible"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

England’s Djed Spence wears facial protection during the World Cup match against Mexico on July 5.Moises Castillo\/The Associated Press<\/p>\n

When soccer players collide in midair, the toll is not always counted in concussions, torn ligaments or twisted ankles.<\/p>\n

Sometimes it is a broken nose \u2013 a burst of blood, a few minutes of treatment on the touchline, perhaps a protective mask and a swift return to play \u2013 that becomes the lasting injury, leaving an athlete struggling to breathe long after the match is over.<\/p>\n

It is a risk that Dr. Farhad Ardesh, a Beverly Hills facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, says remains one of soccer\u2019s most underestimated.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes a minor injury on the outside can cause major damage on the inside,\u201d said Ardesh, who has treated professional athletes, including soccer players.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou might have the nose that just looks a little swollen or a little crooked, but the inside of the nose actually has a zigzag pattern or an S-shaped deformity that\u2019s really affecting this player\u2019s breathing.\u201d<\/p>\n

With several players at the 2026 World Cup<\/a> competing in protective facial masks after jaw or facial injuries, soccer\u2019s hidden trauma has become increasingly visible.<\/p>\n

Meet Greg Bay, the medical expert who calmed the chaos when Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9 was hurt<\/a><\/p>\n

England\u2019s Djed Spence, Austria\u2019s Stefan Posch and Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane have all played with facial protection. Other recent high-profile cases include France\u2019s Kylian Mbappe wearing a mask to protect his broken nose at Euro 2024, and Croatian Josko Gvardiol\u2019s protective mask at the 2022 World Cup.<\/p>\n

To viewers, the mask may appear to be a badge of toughness. To surgeons such as Ardesh, it is often a sign of the effects of trauma.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe face is very fragile after an injury, whether it\u2019s from trauma like getting hit with an elbow or if it\u2019s from surgery,\u201d said Ardesh. \u201cWe want to protect the bone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Austria’s Stefan Posch wears facial protection as he competes for the ball during a World Cup match against Spain on July 2.Francois Nel\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u2018A right hook to the face\u2019<\/p>\n

Ardesh said the facial injuries suffered while playing the beautiful game can resemble those seen in boxing or mixed martial arts.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t think of soccer as being a combat sport,\u201d he said. \u201cBut you\u2019ve got elite athletes that are running as fast as humanly possible and jumping really high. When you\u2019re talking about an elbow or a shoulder directly to the nose, it\u2019s more or less like taking a right hook to the face.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ball itself is rarely the main cause, he said. More often, injuries come from heads, shoulders, elbows, knees, feet or falls.<\/p>\n

The nose is especially vulnerable because of its position and structure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nose is what\u2019s sticking out from our faces,\u201d Ardesh said. \u201cIt\u2019s the first thing that\u2019s probably going to take any kind of impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

France’s Kylian Mbappe wears a mask as he trains with his teammates in Leipzig, Germany, in June, 2024.Hassan Ammar\/The Associated Press<\/p>\n

A nasal fracture can lead to chronic obstruction, a deviated septum, long-term breathing problems, a visibly crooked nose or reconstructive surgery months later if it is not properly evaluated. For elite athletes, Ardesh said, airflow can affect performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf patients are not getting good airflow through their nose, they\u2019re not going to be performing at their best,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal of rhinoplasty and septoplasty is not only to improve the aesthetics of the nose but also make sure they\u2019re getting the best breathing possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Controlling bleeding<\/p>\n

In the immediate aftermath of a blow, the first steps are controlling bleeding and ruling out more serious injury, leaning forward to prevent blood running down the throat.<\/p>\n

Once an athlete reaches a specialist, one urgent concern is septal hematoma \u2013 bleeding inside the wall that divides the nose. Left untreated, it can cut off blood flow to cartilage and cause a collapsed, saddle-shaped deformity.<\/p>\n

How Stephen Eust\u00e1quio weathered injury and tragedy on the road to World Cup fame<\/a><\/p>\n

Swelling can make fractures difficult to evaluate in the first hours after impact. If the injury appears more than minor, Ardesh said imaging may be needed to check for orbital, cheekbone or jaw fractures, as well as concussion.<\/p>\n

For an isolated nasal fracture, he may wait one to two weeks for swelling to subside before resetting the bones. More definitive surgery, including rhinoplasty or septoplasty, may come three to six months later depending on breathing, appearance and function.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal for these players is that they want to get back on the field,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we need to assess all the injuries and come up with an individualized plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goalkeepers at higher risk<\/p>\n

Goalkeepers are particularly exposed because they collide with players while challenging for saves.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can get elbowed, head-butted or kneed,\u201d Ardesh said. \u201cThey are at higher risk for taking on a straight-on facial impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, he does not expect mandatory facial protection to gain broad acceptance in a sport built on speed, vision and comfort. Optional masks for players recovering from injury make more sense, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are fighters,\u201d Ardesh said of professional players. \u201cThey don\u2019t want to leave the field.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: England’s Djed Spence wears facial protection during the World Cup match against Mexico…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":795352,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[901,888,902,879,877,903,49,48,876,895,896,891,878,875,46,549,295,894,887,914,880,881,893,889,890,884,904,885,909,910,912,907,911,905,908,882,898,899,714,897,906,561,82,865,61,900,892,886,883,913],"class_list":["post-795351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-alberta","tag-arts-news","tag-bc","tag-breaking-news","tag-breaking-news-video","tag-british-columbia","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canada-news","tag-canada-sports","tag-canada-sports-news","tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","tag-canadian-breaking-news","tag-canadian-news","tag-economy","tag-education","tag-environment","tag-federal-government","tag-foreign-news","tag-globe-and-mail","tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","tag-government","tag-life-news","tag-lifestyle","tag-local-news","tag-manitoba","tag-national-news","tag-new-brunswick","tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","tag-northwest-territories","tag-nova-scotia","tag-nunavut","tag-ontario","tag-pei","tag-photos","tag-political-news","tag-political-opinion","tag-politics","tag-politics-news","tag-quebec","tag-soccer","tag-sports","tag-sports-news","tag-technology","tag-travel","tag-trudeau","tag-us-news","tag-world-news","tag-yukon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=795351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795351\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/795352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=795351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=795351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=795351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}