Harry Kane's ankle, David Beckham's metatarsal and the injuries which dominated football - in pictures

Some players' careers are unfortunately defined by the injuries they suffered

Harry Kane in action with Manchester City's Fabian Delph as he sustains yet another ankle injury. Action Images via Reuters

Bert Trautmann, goalkeeper for Manchester City, pictured at the end of the 1956 FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, London. He broke his neck in a collision with an opponent during the match but played on and collected a winner's medal. Getty Images

David Beckham is stretchered off for treatment in the first half of the England v Brazil World Cup Quarter Final in 2002. Beckham broke a metatarsal in his foot a couple of months before the tournament while playing for Manchester United against Deportivo La Coruna. The culprit was Deportivo's Pedro Duscher and from then on began the fitness race which gripped the nation. Magician Uri Geller urged TV viewers to put their hands on a picture of the foot to send healing energy through the TV screen. While Beckham was declared fit enough to play, he is remembered for jumping out of a crucial tackle in that quarter final. Getty Images

England's golden generation were marching their way through Euro 2004 - that is until Wayne Rooney broke a bone in his foot against Portugal in the quarter-final in Lisbon. Only 18, he'd already scored four goals and was the star of the tournament, but in that instant England's chances vanished and they were knocked out. The timing was dismal again in 2006 when he broke a metatarsal prior to the World Cup. Getty Images

Abou Diaby was good enough to win 16 caps for France, yet he made just 136 league appearances across 14 seasons. At his peak, he was regarded as having the ability to emulate French legend Patrick Vieira but he was plagued by injury after injury - said to be 42 during his Arsenal spell alone. He retired aged 32 this year. Corbis via Getty Images

Ryan Giggs was a Rolls-Royce of a player - but it was his fast cars which ended up hampering his career. The Manchester United winger was regularly affected by hamstring problems which were said to be caused by his ever-changing fleet. "Experts told me that the different stiff clutch pedals on my cars might have been putting extra stress on my left leg and aggravating my hamstring," he said in 2003. Manchester United via Getty Images

It's certainly the defining image of Terry Butcher's career. The England defender was left covered in blood from a cut head in a match against Sweden in 1989, and, being at a time before blood meant removal from the pitch, he played on. Colorsport/REX/Shutterstock

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger described Santi Cazorla's achilles injury as the worst he had ever seen. He was sidelined for 636 days and required a skin graft from his arm and a metal plate after ten operations and an infection ate up the tendon. Thankfully he is back playing now at Villarreal. Getty Images

Ryan Mason was enjoying a decent career in English football and had made his international debut when, in 2017, he clashed heads with Chelsea's Gary Cahill and suffered a fractured skull. He was advised not to play again and retired aged 26. Getty Images

Jack Wilshere isn't a case of one serious injury - it's just injury after injury. He made 20 or more league appearances for Arsenal just four times and missed three seasons almost entirely. A fresh start at West Ham hasn't improved matters - he's played just five times this season. A lost talent so far. Getty Images

Like Ryan Mason, Petr Cech fractured his skull during a match, and has been able to play on albeit wearing a skull cap. The incident happened in 2006 when the knee of Reading's Stephen Hunt collided with the Arsenal keeper. He required life-saving surgery. Getty Images

It is one of the most famous images of the first decade of Premier League football. Coventry City defender David Busst suffered extensive compound fractures to both the tibia and fibula of his right leg after colliding with Manchester United players Brian McClair and Denis Irwin at Old Trafford on April 8, 1996. Busst underwent 26 operations, contracted MRSA and retired from the game, but was later able to play five-a-side games and was grateful that he didn't lose his leg in what was ultimately a freak accident. Allsport / Getty Images

When it comes to Harry Kane, if you're not reading about how deadly accurate he is in front of goal, you can be sure of what the alternative line of story will be: his ankle.

The Tottenham striker has been plagued by ankle injuries during the past few seasons, and once again he is set for spell on the sidelines following his early exit from the pitch against Manchester City in the Champions League this week.

In his defence, his ankle problems tend to be more to misfortune - opponents falling on him at awkward angles, or twists from committed tackles, rather than a general weakness.

The incident against City was a perfect example of that, with Fabian Delph's boot following though and carrying his weight onto Kane's lower leg after playing a long pass as the Tottenham player closed him down.

But the trend continues and he could miss the remainder of a season which has so far brought him 24 goals for Tottenham.

"We are going to miss him - maybe for the rest of the season," said manager Mauricio Pochettino. "We hope it is not a big issue but there is not to much time to recover."

Kane missed seven games after an ankle injury suffered in January and missed significant spells in both the 2017-18 season and 2016-17 seasons with ankle problems.

He's not alone in partially being defined by a specific or recurring injury.

Take a look at the slideshow at the top to see the other players who have repeatedly hit the headlines because of injury. NOTE: graphic content in the final image.