Scholarlink

Background <p>Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury represents one of the most severe and career-threatening conditions in professional soccer. In recent years, several epidemiological studies have used media-based databases, particularly Transfermarkt, to investigate ACL injury patterns in elite football. To summarize and critically discuss Transfermarkt-based evidence on ACL injuries in professional soccer, focusing on epidemiology, injury distribution, recurrence, return-to-play outcomes, and long-term career impact.</p> Methods <p>This study was designed as a narrative review of peer-reviewed Transfermarkt-based studies investigating anterior cruciate ligament injuries in professional soccer. A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, and eligible studies were qualitatively synthesized focusing on epidemiology, injury distribution, recurrence, return-to-play, and career-related outcomes.</p> Results <p>Across the included studies, ACL injuries occurred predominantly during matches, with a substantially higher risk compared with training. Injury distribution showed consistent seasonal clustering and position-dependent patterns, with defenders and forwards being most frequently affected. A considerable proportion of injuries represented second ACL ruptures. Although return-to-play rates were high, only a limited proportion of players returned to their preinjury competitive level. Moreover, ACL-injured players demonstrated reduced long-term performance and shorter career duration compared with matched uninjured controls.</p> Conclusion <p>ACL injury in professional soccer is not only an acute traumatic event but also a condition with relevant long-term performance and career consequences. Transfermarkt-based studies provide valuable large-scale epidemiological insight into ACL injury patterns in elite football; however, their findings should be interpreted in light of inherent methodological limitations. Future research integrating medical registries with standardized reporting systems is required to optimize injury prevention strategies and long-term outcome assessment.</p> Level of Evidence <p>V (Narrative review of observational studies).</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Professional Soccer: Evidence from Transfermarkt-Based Studies

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月16日

查看全文
  • Riccardo D’Ambrosi,
  • Chiara Ursino,
  • Fabrizio Di Feo,
  • Luca Maria Sconfienza,
  • Alessandro Nuara,
  • Nicola Ursino

摘要

Background

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury represents one of the most severe and career-threatening conditions in professional soccer. In recent years, several epidemiological studies have used media-based databases, particularly Transfermarkt, to investigate ACL injury patterns in elite football. To summarize and critically discuss Transfermarkt-based evidence on ACL injuries in professional soccer, focusing on epidemiology, injury distribution, recurrence, return-to-play outcomes, and long-term career impact.

Methods

This study was designed as a narrative review of peer-reviewed Transfermarkt-based studies investigating anterior cruciate ligament injuries in professional soccer. A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, and eligible studies were qualitatively synthesized focusing on epidemiology, injury distribution, recurrence, return-to-play, and career-related outcomes.

Results

Across the included studies, ACL injuries occurred predominantly during matches, with a substantially higher risk compared with training. Injury distribution showed consistent seasonal clustering and position-dependent patterns, with defenders and forwards being most frequently affected. A considerable proportion of injuries represented second ACL ruptures. Although return-to-play rates were high, only a limited proportion of players returned to their preinjury competitive level. Moreover, ACL-injured players demonstrated reduced long-term performance and shorter career duration compared with matched uninjured controls.

Conclusion

ACL injury in professional soccer is not only an acute traumatic event but also a condition with relevant long-term performance and career consequences. Transfermarkt-based studies provide valuable large-scale epidemiological insight into ACL injury patterns in elite football; however, their findings should be interpreted in light of inherent methodological limitations. Future research integrating medical registries with standardized reporting systems is required to optimize injury prevention strategies and long-term outcome assessment.

Level of Evidence

V (Narrative review of observational studies).