Source: Daily_Mail
My lucky escape: How a pair of £12 shin pads helped to save Anichebe's career
The £12 shin pads worn by Everton[LNB]striker Victor Anichebe saved his right leg from being 'snapped in two' by Kevin Nolan's red-card tackle. [LNB]Nolan was dismissed by referee Lee Mason after the Newcastle [LNB]midfielder's late challenge left Anichebe writhing in pain shortly before half-time in Sunday's goalless draw at St James' Park. [LNB]Pictures later showed that his adidas protection helped him to avoid serious injury. [LNB][LNB] When it comes to the crunch: Victor Anichebe survives Kevin Nolan's horror tackle thanks to his sturdy £12 adidas shin guards[LNB]Anichebe said: 'When it happened I thought: "That's me, that's my time", but luckily I've got strong legs. If that was anyone else their leg would have snapped in two. [LNB]'I've never felt as much pain in my life. I couldn't even look down. It was a terrible tackle but I don't think he really meant it. He came and said sorry, but what can you do?' [LNB]Shin pad technology, much like that of football boots, has come a long way since Nottingham Forest player Samuel Weller Widdowson first felt the need to protect his shins in 1874.[LNB] From £150 to £8, Sportsmail's tribute to the life-saving shin pad[LNB]Strictly X-rated! After Nolan's challenge on Anichebe, here are some other football moments that left us wincing[LNB]PICTURE SPECIAL: Over to you, Jo... Everton star joins the headband brigade[LNB]EVERTON FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB]NEWCASTLE UNITED FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB] [LNB]Also a cricketer for Nottinghamshire, Widdowson had the idea of chopping off the top of a set of pads and strapping them to the outside of his football socks. [LNB]Although they initially ridiculed the invention, other footballers followed suit, while the design was adapted so the protection could be worn inside the socks. [LNB]Flair players such as Pele, George Best, Mario Kempes and even current UEFA president Michel Platini were not fans of the shin pad, feeling they impeded their ball control. [LNB] Shinpads[LNB] But their socks-down, swaggering style became a thing of the past when FIFA made the wearing of guards compulsory in the run-up to the 1990 World Cup. [LNB]FIFA Law 4 states that shin pads should be entirely covered by the stockings, be made of a suitable material and provide a reasonable degree of protection - and a study by Glasgow Western Infirmary's Department of Trauma and Orthopedics into tibial shaft fractures in footballers certainly suggests the rule has been beneficial. [LNB]The 2007 study showed that only 9.8 per cent of all tibia fractures treated by the hospital between 1997 and 2001 were suffered by footballers. [LNB]A similar check by a hospital in Leeds between 1990 and 1994 quoted a figure of 17.6 per cent, while from 1988 to 1990 it was 24.4 per cent in an Edinburgh study. [LNB]With shin pads costing as little as £5, Anichebe's lucky escape should convince any part-time player of the need for them. [LNB]And for those with a few quid to spare, despite the credit crunch, why not invest £60 in Nike's crunch-defying guards moulded in the shape of Ronaldinho's legs? [LNB]Or how about a pair of carbon fibre Diadora pads as worn by fashion icon Francesco Totti? They may cost £149 but, made from titanium and Kevlar, they should ensure your shins are bullet-proof. [LNB]Although they do beg the question: Why does Totti spend so much time rolling around on the ground clutching his legs?[LNB] From £150 to £8, Sportsmail's tribute to the life-saving shin pad[LNB]Strictly X-rated! After Nolan's challenge on Anichebe, here are some other football moments that left us wincing[LNB]PICTURE SPECIAL: Over to you, Jo... Everton star joins the headband brigade[LNB]EVERTON FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB]NEWCASTLE UNITED FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB] [LNB] [LNB]
