Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39852613›Full record

ArticleSports (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Severe Injuries of Former Portuguese Football Players: A Post-Career Burden?

Eduardo Teixeira, Carlos Silva, Félix Romero, Mauro Miguel, António Vicente

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Eduardo TeixeiraSchool of Sport, Santarém Polytechnic University, 2040-413 Rio Maior, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-4326-4175
Carlos SilvaSchool of Sport, Santarém Polytechnic University, 2040-413 Rio Maior, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0003-4327-5744
Félix RomeroSchool of Sport, Santarém Polytechnic University, 2040-413 Rio Maior, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-0472-0799
Mauro MiguelSchool of Sport, Santarém Polytechnic University, 2040-413 Rio Maior, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0001-5746-6715
António VicenteSport Science Department, University of Beira Interior, 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal.

Funding

Portuguese Foundation for the Science and Technology UID/06185/2025
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesFootball players have a high injury risk due to the physical demands of their profession, which can negatively affect their quality of life (QoL) in the long term. The aim of this study is to characterize the severe injuries that former Portuguese football players suffered throughout their professional careers and investigate the resulting impacts on the physical domain of QoL after retirement.

methodsThis study includes 84 former Portuguese football players (48.8 ± 8.2 years) who underwent reform between 1988 and 2018 and played in professional leagues (15.2 ± 3.2 years of career duration), namely, first division leagues (n = 43) and secondary division leagues (n = 41). Quantitative and qualitative interview data are used by a validated interview guide and from results of the physical domain obtained by the application of the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-Bref).

resultsFormer players had 2.1 ± 1.5 severe injuries throughout their careers. The most common injuries involve the knee (47.5%) and foot/ankle (17.2%), with the anatomical area of the knee as the most likely to require surgical intervention (60%). The association between tactical-positional status and the incidence of severe injuries is significant, with defenders sustaining less severe injuries throughout their careers. This study found a statistically significant linear model (F(1.82) = 8.089,

conclusionsThe higher the number of severe injuries sustained during a career, the lower the perception of QoL in the physical domain of former players in their post-career. These findings highlight the need to optimize training programs and injury prevention and recovery protocols for long-term QoL improvement in the physical domain of football players.

Indexed as

career impactsfootball (soccer)physical domainprofessional retirementquality of life

Identifiers

PMID39852613
PMCPMC11768467

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.