On this day in 2008, Eduardo da Silva had his ankle dislocated and fibula broken by Martin Taylor during a 2-2 draw against Birmingham City.

Theo Walcott scored both goals on a day that everyone will remember for the wrong reasons. In fact, I’m sure that day will be etched into Eduardo’s memory forever.

The Croatia international signed for Arsenal in 2007 and scored 12 goals and assisted nine in 31 appearances over all competitions during his first half-a-season in north London. His potential was staggering and Arsenal looked set to win the League for the first time since 2004 after moving above Manchester United in December.

The horrific injury to Eduardo’s leg not only meant that he missed a total of 43 matches, it meant that he never truly reached his potential and, without him, Arsenal fell from the top of the Premier League table to third, just two points behind Chelsea in second and four behind United.

After the incident, Dudu found it hard to hit his form again and struggled for game time. He was eventually sold to Shakhtar Donetsk in 2010, where he spent four years, scoring 24 goals. The striker then spent a year at Flamengo before moving back to Shakhtar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyNbE1gn6nI