Pain is a funny thing.
Millions of years of evolution have taught our bodies that pain is bad and should be avoided as much as possible. But for some people, pain is just a minor inconvenience on their road to glory.
So while most of us can’t so much as stub our toe without collapsing into the foetal position, here are some athletes who prove that sometimes what doesn’t kill us inexplicably makes us stronger.
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Beckenbauer is widely considered to be one of the greatest players to have ever kicked a football and one of the most influential people in the history of the sport.
During the 1970 World Cup semi-final against Italy – in what has since been dubbed ‘The Game of the Century’ – the Bayern Munich man suffered a dislocated shoulder late in the match. Unfortunately for Beckenbauer, West Germany had used their only two permitted substitutes at this stage and the game was going into extra time.
Rather than leave his team short a man for the extra 30 minutes, the defender simply wrapped his arm up in a sling and continued playing. Despite his heroics, the Germans still lost 4-3.
Once he got over the disappointment, Beckenbauer would go on to become the only person to ever win a World Cup as both a captain (1974) and a manager (1990).
Bobby Baun
The joke about ice hockey is that by going to a game you’re paying to watch a series of boxing matches with an occasional burst of hockey thrown in, so it’s no surprise to find that one of the hardiest men in the history of sports played in the NHL.
In the 1964 Stanley Cup Finals, Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Bobby Baun broke his leg. For the average person, that would signal a few weeks on the sideline at the very least. But Bobby Baun is not your average person.
After the team doctors agreed that he couldn’t possibly inflict any more pain on himself than he already had, Baun demanded that they freeze his leg and tape it up so that he could continue to play.
Baun went on to score the winning goal in overtime to send the series to a seventh game and, despite the broken leg, played in the final game too, helping the Maple Leafs win 4-0 and secure the championship.
Happy Birthday to former Maple Leaf Bobby Baun who turns 79 today! RT to wish him a happy birthday. #TMLtalk pic.twitter.com/698yr5Ix3i
— Maple Leafs Fanatics (@leafs_fanatics9) September 9, 2015
Bert Trautmann
Bert Trautmann’s story is so incredible that it would make Forrest Gump sceptical. Born in Bremen in 1923, he was captured (and escaped from) the Russians, the French Resistance and the Americans during World War II before eventually being taking as a POW by the British.
After the war, he refused the chance to return to his homeland, instead staying in England and becoming a professional footballer with Manchester City. He became the first foreign player to win the Footballer of the Year award in 1956 and, at the end of that season, Trautmann played in his second consecutive FA Cup final.
With 17 minutes remaining in the game, Trautmann dived at the feet of an opposing striker and was knocked unconscious, suffering injury to his neck and back. Because teams were not permitted to make any substitutions, the German was forced to brave it out – making several key saves to help his team win the trophy.
It wasn’t until four days later that he eventually went to the doctor, who revealed that Trautmann had broken his spine and had almost died, as the second of his five broken vertebrae had split right in two. In fact, he had only survived because one of the other broken vertebrae was applying enough pressure to keep it in place.
Despite the injury, Trautmann went on to play professionally for another eight years and set the record for most appearances by a Man City player. He was awarded an OBE in 2004 before passing away in July of 2013.
Jack Youngblood
The great John Madden (who yes, was a real person and not just a video game commentator) once said: “If a Martian landed in my backyard, knocked on my door and asked me ‘What’s a football player?’ I’d go get Jack Youngblood.”
The former Los Angeles Rams defensive end terrified opponents, and no moment in his career sums up his commitment to the game more than the 1979 playoffs. With a trip to the Superbowl on the line against the Dallas Cowboys, Youngblood broke his leg.
But like Billy Baun before him, a simple fractured fibula was not enough to stop Youngblood, who simply slapped on a brace and played every single defensive down in both the NFC Championship game and Super Bowl XIV.
He also took part in the end of season all-star game a week later. When asked why he had put himself through such pain, Youngblood famously answered: “Because it was Sunday.”
Wayne Shelford
We’ve saved the best for last here, with the story of former All Blacks captain Wayne “Buck” Shelford who suffered possibly the most horrific injury known to man in just his second international game. Be warned, this one is graphic.
During the infamous “Battle of Nantes” between New Zealand and France in 1986, Shelford first had three teeth knocked out of his head before suffering a concussion which knocked him out. But the worst was yet to come.
Early in the second half while trying to recover the ball from a ruck, a stray French boot ripped open his scrotum and left one of his testicles hanging out. Amazingly, Shelford was unaware of the fact until after the game, where he simply asked the team doctor to stitch him back together.
New Zealand lost the game 16-3, but it would be the only international game Shelford ever lost as a player. He went on to be a part of the New Zealand team that won the first ever Rugby World Cup and even captained the team for the three years that followed.
