Impact After suffering a face injury late in the first leg against Real Madrid, Rudiger will be wearing a mask on Wednesday. While he assisted on the first leg, the center-back will be difficult to rely on given that it was his first goal of the season. Chelsea will need their other defenders to step up.
Rudiger's Injury Rudiger suffered the injury during the 1-1 draw with Real Madrid on November 11. He came off after being kicked by Luka Modrić and did not return to the field for the remainder of the match. At the time, Rudiger didn't appear worried about the injury but later stated after the game that he felt something "pop" in his face when Modrić stepped up his challenge. He ended up needing 15 minutes of treatment before coming out of the match and leaving the stadium in pain.
He returned home to Germany where he had an injection in an attempt to speed up his recovery process. However, three days after returning to London, he was back in Germany for more treatment on his ankle. Rudiger has not played since and will miss Wednesday's match against Liverpool (AEDT).
Chelsea Need Him There's no doubt that Rudiger is one of the best central defenders in the world right now and losing him would be a big blow to their title defense.
Antonio Rudiger wears a protective face mask during games to preserve his facial bones and reduce the danger of additional damage. "He has a minor bone damage on the side of his face," Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel stated at the time. "It's nothing serious, but it's better to be safe than sorry."
The mask doesn't hide Rudiger's face, just the part that makes him look like a normal person. It's a sort of camouflage used by soldiers in war zones and other dangerous situations.
Number 2 is considered the most dangerous position in boxing because you are close to your opponent's power spots. A boxer who gets hit with lots of heavy punches in the head can suffer from several injuries including brain damage. Experts don't think Rudiger will be able to return to action this season.
This isn't the first time a German player has had to protect himself from dangers outside the field. In football, players use their hands and bodies as weapons when fighting for the ball, while in rugby they often get injured when falling over each other's legs.
Face masks, similar as the one worn by Rudiger, can also be used to protect players who have broken other bones in their face, such as the nose, cheek, or orbit. These players are unable to play with the usual intensity and risk further injury.
Eye protection is required in football because even though eyes are not injured like the rest of the body, they can still get hurt if exposed to balls or collisions with other players. The English Football Association (FA) advises that "all footballers should ensure that they wear suitable eye protection at all times while on the field of play."
The reason why players may need to wear an eye mask is because they may suffer from a condition called "concussion" which means having your brain violently shaken around inside your skull. Symptoms include confusion, headache, dizziness, nausea, and visual disturbances. A player who suffers from concussion must take some time off of football to allow their brain to recover.
Concussions are very common in football and many players commit this act of violence against their own brains. Current NFL statistics show that nearly half of all players will suffer from concussions during their career. This number is higher for younger players and those who have not yet reached the age of 26.
Worsley was adamantly against wearing a mask. He was the second-to-last professional hockey goaltender to do so. Andy Brown of the Indianapolis Racers was the last, donning a mask throughout his final six games the following season. The mask he wore during that time was owned by the team and had "Brown" written on it in ink.
When asked about the matter, Brown said, "I just liked the looks of it." He went on to say that while he did use a mask, it wasn't for cosmetic purposes alone.
Gump Worsley was born on January 4th, 1919 in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. He attended Stanford University, where he played varsity baseball and hockey. After graduating from Stanford in 1946, Worsley joined the United States Army where he served as a captain in the 67th Infantry Division. Upon leaving the army, he settled in Indianapolis where he began his career as a goalie with the Indianapolis Capitals of the American Hockey League (AHL). In 1949, he moved to the Rochester Americans of the AHL, where he stayed for three seasons. In 1952, Worsley made his way over to Europe where he played for the Oslo Ice Tigers in the Norwegian Hockey League for one season. When he returned home, he joined the Baltimore Clippers of the AHL where he stayed for two more seasons.
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