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 Evertonstriker Victor Anichebe saved his right leg from being 'snapped in two' by Kevin Nolan's red-card tackle. Nolan was dismissed by referee Lee Mason after the Newcastle midfielder's late challenge left Anichebe writhing in pain shortly before half-time in Sunday's goalless draw at St James' Park. Pictures later showed that his adidas protection helped him to avoid serious injury. When it comes to the crunch: Victor Anichebe survives Kevin Nolan's horror tackle thanks to his sturdy £12 adidas shin guardsAnichebe 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. '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?' 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. From £150 to £8, Sportsmail's tribute to the life-saving shin padStrictly X-rated! After Nolan's challenge on Anichebe, here are some other football moments that left us wincingPICTURE SPECIAL: Over to you, Jo. Everton star joins the headband brigadeEVERTON FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEBNEWCASTLE UNITED FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB 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. Although they initially ridiculed the invention, other footballers followed suit, while the design was adapted so the protection could be worn inside the socks. 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. Shinpads 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. 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. 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. 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. With shin pads costing as little as £5, Anichebe's lucky escape should convince any part-time player of the need for them. 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? 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. Although they do beg the question: Why does Totti spend so much time rolling around on the ground clutching his legs? From £150 to £8, Sportsmail's tribute to the life-saving shin padStrictly X-rated! After Nolan's challenge on Anichebe, here are some other football moments that left us wincingPICTURE SPECIAL: Over to you, Jo. Everton star joins the headband brigadeEVERTON FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEBNEWCASTLE UNITED FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB