Which Stars Will Miss The World Cup With Injury?

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup drawing closer, the 32 participating nations are stepping up the pace in their preparations ahead of the final. As the intensity mounts, the players are starting to feel the heat and injuries are creeping in.

Goal.com  looks at those major World Cup stars who are either going to miss out on the tournament entirely, or run the risk of doing so due to late injuries...

Michael Ballack
Germany

Age: 33
Position: Central midfielder
Club: Chelsea
Injury: Damaged ligaments to his right ankle during Chelsea's FA Cup final win over Portsmouth in mid-May.

Prognosis: Ballack will miss the entire World Cup as he recovers from this injury.



John Obi-Mikel
Nigeria

Age: 23
Position: Midfielder
Club: Chelsea

Injury: Failed to make a full recovery after undergoing minor knee surgery in early May.

Prognosis: Mikel will not participate in the World Cup after Nigeriainjuries officials confirmed that the midfielder has been dropped from the squad to avoid long-term problems to his knee.

Didier Drogba
Ivory Coast

Age: 32
Position: Striker
Club: Chelsea

Injury: Fractured his right elbow during Ivory Coast's friendly win over Japan.

Prognosis: The player himself, and Kolo Toure, were alleged to have said that he would miss out. L'Equipe reported this but then stated that he could in fact recover in time for the tourmanent. Status unknown.

Rio Ferdinand
England

Age: 32
Position: Centre-back
Club: Manchester United

Injury: Picked up a knock on his knee in a collision with Emile Heskey during training.

Prognosis: Initial reports indicated ligament damage. These were later confirmed and Rio, on crutches, is out of the World Cup.
Andrea Pirlo
AC Milan

Age: 31
Position: Midfielder
Club: AC Milan
Injury: An ankle injury in Italy's 2-1 loss to Mexico in a friendly could ruin the AC Milan man's World Cup.

Prognosis: Unknown at this point. The influential midfielder is due to return to Milan for medical tests.

Michael Essien
Ghana

Age: 27
Position: Central midfielder
Club: Chelsea
Injury: Recurring problem with left knee ligaments sustained while on international duty with Ghana on January 2010.

Prognosis: Essien will miss the entire World Cup as he recovers from this injury.

Oscar Cardozo
Paraguay

Age: 27
Position: Striker
Club: Benfica

Injury: Struggling to reach full fitness after playing with an ankle injury for the last four games of the Portuguese league campaign.

Prognosis: Still unknown whether he will be fully fit for the World Cup but his agent has indicated that it's unlikely he will be.


Diego Milito
Argentina

Age: 30
Position: Striker
Club: Inter

Injury: Light ankle sprain during training.

Prognosis: No time has been set as to when he will be able to return to training, but 'El Principe' is expected to recover quickly as it was only a minor injury.


Julio Cesar
Brazil

Age: 30
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Inter

Injury: Limped out of the friendly win over Zimbabwe with a back problem.

Prognosis: Currently undergoing physiotherapy. Expected back in three to four days, but full fitness yet to be determined.


Mauro Camoranesi
Italy

Age: 33
Position: Midfielder
Club: Juventus
Injury: Sprained meniscus in his right knee which he sustained during training.

Prognosis: Has been included in final squad but a late fitness test will determine his availability.


Humberto Suazo
Chile

Age: 29
Position: Striker
Club: Monterrey

Injury: Tore his hamstring during friendly encounter against Israel.

Prognosis: 'Chupete' is expected to miss the World Cup. He is currently taking medication that may be deemed illegal and could be banned from the tournament.

Heiko Westermann
Germany

Age: 26
Position: Defender/Midfielder
Club: Schalke

Injury: Recurring knee problem after undergoing surgery in January.

Prognosis: Westermann will miss the entire World Cup as he recovers from this injury.