ArticleJournal of experimental orthopaedics2026
Return-to-play timing and secondary anterior cruciate ligament injury risk in elite soccer players: A transfermarkt-based longitudinal analysis.
Article in Journal of experimental orthopaedics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
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5 authors.
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Abstract
Purpose: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are frequent and potentially career-threatening in elite soccer. The optimal timing for return-to-play (RTP) remains debated, particularly its association with secondary ACL injury. This study evaluated temporal trends in RTP duration and investigated the association between RTP duration, post-ACL match exposure and secondary ACL injury risk in professional male soccer players. Methods: Longitudinal publicly available data were analysed from Transfermarkt (2005-2020) on ACL injuries in elite male soccer players from Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. Players were grouped into three five-season periods. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between RTP duration (days) and secondary ACL injury risk, adjusting for time period, post-ACL match exposure (per 1000 min) and age. Secondary ACL injury proportions and RTP duration trends were compared across time periods. Results: A total of 1011 ACL injuries were identified in 862 unique players; 15.5% ( Conclusion: Although RTP duration has increased over the past 15 years in elite soccer, this has not reduced secondary ACL injury risk. Extending RTP duration alone does not appear to reduce reinjury risk. Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective cohort study.
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