Rooney and the Boot That Caused His Injury

Over the weekend, Wayne Rooney suffered what was a pretty traumatic injury to his right quad compliments of a stray Hugo Rodellega boot. The result was a “6-inch long x 1-inch deep” gash that is set to keep Rooney sidelined for several weeks.

If you are familiar or have read about the incident, one thing is clear; it was definitely Rodellega’s boot that inflicted the seemingly rare injury, and a pair of Nike Vapor VIII are in question.

Going back to my review of the Nike Vapor VIII, I pulled the following quote:

An area that has it positives and negatives is the soleplate and those blades. I can tell you that they offer solid traction right through wear and they do feel very springy off the surface. So, in theory they do exactly as Nike advertise! But, the blades are thin and as a result I found the edges to be slightly sharp. I haven’t read the rule book, but I would be interested in finding out if there is any rules that determine how wide a blade should be. I have no problems with the blades on my own boots, but as a winger I do not want to be on the end of a tackle from a player wearing them!

Jump below for more images and more details on Rooney’s injury.

Before jumping to conclusions, there is no evidence as to which stud or blade inflicted the actual injury and it does seem like a pretty freak occurrence. My quote above is taken from the FG review – Rodellega was wearing the professional SG Pro configuration.

I have watched the incident several times on TV and studied images, and it was definitely some part of the forefoot that caused the injury. I am not implying that the inner forefoot blade (seen in red on the images below) was the direct cause, but it certainly seems like it might have played some sort of role in causing the skin to tear apart. The sharp edge could easily have pierced the skin as Rodellega landed down, dragging his foot back toward him.

Another theory surround the 11mm aluminum, detachable, forefoot studs. Again, the shape of this stud produces a thin tip that could easily break the skin with enough force.

As reference, the Nike Vapor VIII worn by Rodellega are the White/Black/Solar Red colorway. This was the colorway released as part of the Clash Collection this summer, as worn by many of the top players at Euro 2012. It goes without saying that I don’t directly recommend the SG Pro version, but it is available to add to Nike ID boots for those that are interested.

The latest on Rooney? Well, I pulled the below from The Telegraph.

The main risk with a serious wound is infection, says Fellow of the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine Dr Mike Loosemore.

My main concern with an injury like the one Wayne Rooney suffered is whether or not the wound has been infected. Bacteria and dirty material like soil can easily interfere with the wound by getting into the tissue so I hope they cleaned it well. If they did, the stitches should stay in for a week or 10 days. Any torn muscle takes a while to repair so it had to be sewn up directly. If the muscle has been torn then it could take a minimum of six weeks to heal. Likewise with a cut muscle, as both injuries are treated in the same way. It is a very awkward place to injure yourself, with the tear just above the right knee, an area that’s constantly moving. Bending it will put the wound under more tension.

What are your thoughts on the injury and have you any experience with the Nike Vapor VIII blades? Leave your comments below, I am interested to hear what you think about the incident.