5 goalkeepers who played with broken fingers

Goalkeepers are among the most exposed players on a football pitch when it comes to hand injuries. Unlike outfield players, who rarely use their hands during a match, goalkeepers rely on their fingers and palms to stop powerful shots, catch crosses and make saves.

Repeated impact can leave them with broken fingers, dislocations and injuries that can affect their hands long after retirement.

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The Athletic feature highlighted the experiences of several goalkeepers and the long-term effects of injuries sustained while playing.

Here are five goalkeepers whose experiences show how much their hands can suffer during their careers.

Chelsea and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez recently revealed the extent of the pain he suffered after breaking a finger shortly before Aston Villa's 2026 Europa League final against Freiburg. The injury happened during the warm-up before the match in Istanbul on May 20, 2026.

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Despite the injury, the Argentine decided to play and completed the entire match as Aston Villa won 3-0 to lift the Europa League trophy. The problem, however, continued beyond the final.

Martinez decided against surgery because the procedure would have kept him out for about six weeks, potentially affecting his availability for Argentina's 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign. He instead played with a protective cast and a specially designed Adidas goalkeeper glove.

Martinez described the pain he experienced while playing with the injury. Describing the pain he experienced, he revealed that he would struggle with the pain every night. The goalkeeper also admitted that he could not use his hand normally because of the injury and could not fully close his fist.

Despite the discomfort, he said he would make the same decision again to represent Argentina.

Former England goalkeeper Rob Green is another player whose fingers were badly affected by his long career in goal. The former West Ham United, Norwich City and Chelsea goalkeeper has a permanently bent little finger following several breaks and dislocations.

Green explained that the injury happened over many years of playing, particularly when his finger caught in the ground as he dived to make saves. The damage became so serious that he needed special protection to continue playing.

Green revealed that glove manufacturers made him a specially designed glove that allowed him to tape some of his fingers together. He also wore a finger brace inside his gloves during the final 10 years of his professional career. Green eventually retired in 2019, but the damage to his little finger remains.

Former Arsenal and Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale also experienced a finger fracture that required him to use specially designed goalkeeper gloves. Ramsdale broke his left middle finger during Southampton's 2-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in November 2024.

The injury required surgery and forced him to miss several matches. He returned to action against Fulham on December 22, 2024. Instead of the usual five-finger design, Ramsdale wore a modified glove with a larger opening that accommodated both his left middle and ring fingers.

The design allowed him to protect the injured finger while returning to action. Ramsdale also produced an impressive performance, making five saves as Southampton secured a goalless draw at Craven Cottage.

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Newcastle United and England goalkeeper Nick Pope has also struggled with repeated finger dislocations throughout his goalkeeping career. Pope revealed that he first dislocated a finger when he was just 13 years old.

The problem became recurrent, with the goalkeeper suffering several dislocations during the 2022/23 season. According to reports, the injury occurred four or five times within six months, including during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The dislocations became increasingly painful as the joint weakened. Pope eventually underwent surgery in the summer of 2023 to stabilize the affected finger.

He explained that he had previously managed the injury by strapping it, as surgery would have kept him out of action for about eight weeks. The Newcastle goalkeeper described the problem as particularly frustrating because goalkeepers constantly rely on their fingers to make saves.

According to the Athletic, Steele was in his early 20s when a ball hit his hand with extreme force and broke his scaphoid bone (a small bone in the wrist, situated at the base of the thumb) in training.

Finger injuries are mostt likely one of the injury types a goalkeeper might experience.